MANILA – Now that he is about to wind down his nearly two decades of fighting career, Ilonggo mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Rene “The Challenger” Catalan hopes to pass down the torch to his son.
According to Catalan, there is a lot of potential in his son Rene Catalan Jr. or “Peri” as they call him. The father, however, does not want to put the weights on the 15-year-old.
“I don’t want to put pressure on him, but I see him following my footsteps one day. It may be too early, but the potential is there,” Catalan said on his son’s martial arts training.
He added: “I have achieved a lot of things in martial arts, and if there are things that I failed to accomplish, I know that he will achieve it for me one day.”
Catalan shared that his son showed determination to learn the art of the sport even before, which is one of the fundamentals the father is searching for from someone wanting to be in the MMA world.
“As much as possible, I want him to echo my principles in life. I am teaching him how to be responsible. When it comes to school and the gym, I want him to develop discipline, dedication, determination, passion, and of course, fear in God,” Catalan said.
“I urge him to focus on his studies in Makati High School because education is important. He goes to school every morning and he’s training every night. Sunday is his only rest day,” he added.
Peri is a diligent and disciplined kid as described by his father.
“I always tell him the importance of continuous learning,” Rene said. “On training, we’re focused on the basics, so that it will remain with him forever. We polish his boxing, wrestling, and wushu, plus we add some elements of luta livre and Muay Thai.”/PN
