Robin Catalan celebrates explosive win. photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Robin Catalan fell in his return to competition, tapping out to Japan’s Ryuto in ONE: Unbreakable Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Sawada, a member of Evolve MMA, completed a single-leg takedown that allowed him to get into dominant position in the ground and immediately forced Catalan to give up his back.
That was when the Japanese strawweight slapped on a rear-naked choke, forcing Catalan to tap 4:19 into the opening round.
The win earned Sawada (14-5) his second straight victory and fifth in six matches with four of those triumphs coming via submission.
Catalan (10-7), whose last fight was in November 2019, dropped his second bout in three outings.
Sawada’s victory pushed him closer to a potential match against no.1 contender Yosuke Saruta and no.2 in the division Yoshitaka Naito.