MANILA – Ilonggo mixed martial arts fighter Rene Catalan will make his ring return as he takes on Bokang Masunyane of South Africa at ONE: Big Bang at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night.
This will be the first MMA fight of the Santa Barbara, Iloilo-native after unsuccessfully challenging reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion and compatriot Joshua “The Passion” Pacio at the ONE: Masters of Fate last year.
“I am hungry and I will fight like it so I can reach my goal of being number one again and challenging the champion once more,” the 40-year-old fighter said.
Catalan’s MMA comeback, however, will not be easy as he will face Masungaye, who has yet to taste defeat in seven matches.
Masunyane had a resounding ONE debut as he scored a convincing unanimous decision win over Ryuto Sawada, showcasing his explosive wrestling against the Japanese athlete.
Before losing to Pacio, Catalan racked up six consecutive wins, finishing half of those in an impressive fashion – including a dominant technical knockout win over former World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.
“It’s going to be an explosive fight,” Catalan said. “I know Bokang is really hungry to win this fight, but I am hungry to bounce back as well so I can get another World Title shot.”
Catalan will also join his student Jomary Torres, who is slated to face Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat in the curtain-raiser of the fight card. In the main event, ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia will defend his World Title against Murat Aygun.
The Catalan-Masungaye bout will replace the postponed match between Danny Kingad and Kairat Akhmetov./PN
