Rene Catalan. Photo from ONE Championship
Filipino fighter Rene Catalan is looking to carry over his winning ways from international Wushu tournaments to the ONE Championship.
After bringing numerous gold medals for the Philippines in the discipline of Wushu, Catalan finally got a breakthrough win in mixed martial arts division after dominating his Chinese foe last September.
Catalan brought down Zhang You Liang via unanimous decision at ONE: Unbreakable Warriors fight night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to improve to a 2-2 MMA record.
Now, the 38-year-old Catalan wants open his 2017 with a winning streak as he takes on Strawweight Indonesian Tournament Champion Adrian Matheis (3-1) at ONE: Quest For Power in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 14.
“It’s not impossible. That’s why I am exerting a tremendous amount of effort in training. I want to keep on winning,” Catalan said.
Although both fighters boast of superb striking skills, Catalan believes that he still has the upper hand in the stand-up department.
“I still believe that my striking is better than his stand-up game. I am very comfortable in that aspect. If he wants to strike with me, it will be my pleasure,” he pointed out.
A victory over Matheis could give Catalan a shot at Yoshitaka Naito for the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt.
“Every fighter dreams to become a world champion. I really hope that ONE Championship will give me an opportunity to fight for the title in the future. This fight might be the door to a world title fight. Let us all hope for the best,” he said.