MANILA – Ilonggo MMA fighter Rene “The Challenger” Catalan hopes to extend his winning streak when he faces Indonesian Stefer Rahardian in “ONE: Reign of Kings” card on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Iloilo City native is determined to score a huge victory against Rahardian to fortify his being a contender for ONE Championship’s strawweight title.
Catalan, who started his ONE campaign in 2013, was dominant in his last four fights, taking down Zhang You Liang, Adrian Mattheis, Bu Huo You Ga, and Peng Xue Wen.
He will enter the match with a 4-2 win-loss record, including one knockout and one submission triumphs, while Rahardian owns a perfect 9-0 slate, with five victories coming by way of submission.
“I was able to win four fights in a row but I was still criticized by many followers of the sport online,” Catalan said. “You can’t please everybody, but in my opinion, a win in this bout will validate my claim as a contender in my division.”
“My latest win is a testament to how much I have learned from my experiences. People can criticize me and my team but we won’t stop pushing forward. All we want is to succeed and give glory to our country,” he added.
Well aware of his Indonesian opponent’s grappling expertise, the 39-year-old Catalan is diligently training to contradict his signature move as well as his explosive skill set.
“My opponent is no pushover. He wants to establish himself as the next strawweight contender for the title but he needs to work hard for it because I also want that spot,” said the Ilonggo fighter.
“I am preparing a solid defense against him (Rahardian), but of course I am mixing in some offense as well,” said Catalan, but “I am not sure if he expects me to add a twist to my game.”/PN
