Filipino fighter Catalan extends ONE streak, stops Chinese foe

FILE – Rene Catalan has his arms raised after a stunning win. Photo from ONE Championship

For a 39-year-old martial artist like Rene Catalan, having lived for almost four decades is already fraught with milestones.

And yet Catalan still celebrated like a little kid when he won his fourth straight fight at ONE Championship after he knocked out Chinese Xuewen Peng in ONE: Kings of Courage at Jakarta Convention Center Saturday.

“This victory is so sweet,” said Catalan, who improved his record to 4-2. “I am excited about how the future will unfold as I continue my career in ONE Championship.”

“It’s my fourth straight victory and who would’ve thought that I can accomplish this after I went though numerous trials that I encountered in the past. Four straight wins are quite a milestone for me on a global stage.”

Catalan scored a technical knockout victory over Xuewen (1-2), who’s 11 years younger than the Filipino, after raining down his fists 4:22 into the second round of their strawweight bout.

Catalan peppered Xuewen, a natural Greco-Roman wrestler, with strikes and all the while matching up with his opponent in the grappling department.

Catalan said his age disparity with Xuewen was enough to motivate him in his training camp.

“I was motivated to improve and work on my grappling, he is a former champion of wrestling and much younger than me,” said Catalan.

Xuewen won his first fight at ONE Championship through a brutal German suplex that knocked out Phat Soda in the first round back in November.

“That was my drive coming into this bout. Indeed, my preparation for this bout was beneficial to my growth as a martial artist.”