Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Ramon Gonzales has learned his lesson heading into his fight against China’s Hexi Getu in ONE: Age of Dragons in Beijing.
The two were originally scheduled to fight in August in Bangkok but Gonzales pulled out of the bout after failing the hydration test, which has haunted him for the past months.
“I’m excited that I have been given another opportunity by ONE Championship, I feel blessed,” said Gonzales. “I was disappointed with myself the last time, it was really a tough time for me as an athlete but I always take that kind of situation as a challenge.”
“I’ve learned a lot. I’m now making sure that when I lose weight, I’m still healthy. I must always take those factors, like hydration, into consideration.”
Gonzales (4-2) is looking to extend his three-fight winning streak, with all of those wins ending in submissions, but the flyweight from Bicol is not taking Hexi lightly.
Hexi (1-3) started his professional career at 0-3 but has since taken a unanimous decision win over Ovais Shah in May.
“I know Hexi Getu is a dangerous opponent and I have no plans of being complacent against him,” said Gonzales who found a silver lining in the cancellation of his first bout against the Chinese.
“The cancellation of our first bout gave me more time to review his previous matches and to learn more about him because I knew I was going to meet him again in the future,” said Gonzales.