Tag: ONE Championship News

If you had asked a young Gurdarshan” Saint Lion” Mangat what he dreamed of becoming when he entered the workforce, you would not have found the profession of mixed martial artist listed as one of his possible future employment opportunities.

Born to immigrant parents, who left their native India to settle in Canada with the hopes of making a better life for themselves, Mangat was never considered a particularly athletic child.

In fact, up until his early 20’s, the ONE flyweight appeared destined to spend his days behind a desk, working as an accountant as opposed to facing off against some of the best athletes in the world.

It was a chance viewing of a mixed martial arts bout featuring former World Champion and current ONE Championship Vice President Rich “Ace” Franklin that altered the course of Mangat’s life. It was while watching Franklin that Mangat realized not only did he want to devote his life to becoming a martial artist, but more importantly he did not need anyone’s permission or approval to follow his dream.

The hard work Mangat has put in over the years paid off and last March at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR, the 32-year-old introduced himself to the world by posting an impressive TKO victory over ONE veteran Toni Tauru in his promotional debut.

Having his hand raised in victory was a picture perfect moment for the debutant, and it will be a moment he will not forget anytime soon.

“I feel great after the bout. I felt ONE wanted to see what I was made of which is why they gave me a guy who had beat the former flyweight champ and fought the current and former bantamweight champ. I felt I rose to the occasion on the biggest platform to represent my people,” Mangat said.

Now Mangat who is currently on a four-bout winning streak will meet Indonesia’s Abro “The Black Komodo” Fernandes at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY on 12 July inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

There is a lot riding on the outcome of this bout. A second impressive showing will mark Mangat as someone people should keep a close eye on, in the ultra-competitive ONE flyweight division.

“Training for this camp has been intense and long. Once again I have made many sacrifices,” Mangat said discussing his upcoming bout. 

“I am away from my wife as I have moved my camp to Las Vegas. I am out there alone, fully focused on the task. The training is intense, and at a high level, you have to be able to manage yourself out there because nobody is going to babysit you.”

“Days are long, and the heat is intense, but all these uncomfortable scenarios are where true strength is built. I haven’t watched much on Abro other than his last bout. I prefer to focus on myself and how I can be more well rounded. I have a basic idea of who he is, and that’s all I need, the rest is up to what I choose to do in there,” he continued. 

While Mangat is not part of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, he is still keeping close tabs on the competition and is already mapping out his path to the title.

The post Gurdarshan Mangat Was Set For To Become An Accountant Until Rich Franklin Changed His Future appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

As Filipina mixed martial arts prospect Jomary “The Zamboanganian Fighter” Torres prepares to take to the ring against Malaysian contender Jihin “Shadowcat” Radzuan at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday, July 12th, there is nobody more proud of her than her mentor, ONE strawweight contender Rene “D’ Challenger” Catalan. 

The Catalan Fighting System product exploded onto the scene in ONE Championship with three sensational victories against top contenders in Thailand’s Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige, Indonesia’s Nita Dea, and Team Lakay’s April Osenio, but mixed martial arts was not always the path that she was set on. 

Torres initially came to Manila to work as a nanny but through Filipino mixed martial arts veteran and former ONE Championship athlete Ruel Catalan, she was introduced to the world of martial arts, and was later on invited to train by none other than coach Rene Catalan to work for them at the CFS Gym. 

“He offered me a job as a receptionist for the gym, taking inquiries and managing members. At first, I was hesitant because I was still working at the time,” Torres shared. 

Torres went with a friend and met with Rene to gain a better understanding of the potential opportunity.

“I thought it was a good offer, so I asked my then-employers if I could take the opportunity,” she explained. “They were gracious enough to let me go, so I just took my things, and I was at the gym the next day.”

Torres was new to the world of martial arts when she came to work at the Catalan gym but immediately gained a mentor in Rene once she showed interest in learning the ropes. Soon, the Zamboanganian was already testing herself and joining competitions. 

“At first, Coach Rene let me train a bit with his class, and when he saw that I had potential to compete, he let me fight in amateur kickboxing,” Torres shared. 

“I didn’t expect to win at first, but it was the start of a series of matches in Muay Thai and kickboxing in the amateur scene.”

Feeling slightly intimidated, she had a slow start in building relationships with her teammates.

“They looked grouchy at first. The first time that I came to the gym, I didn’t know that Coach Robin [Catalan] and Coach Rene were brothers — the others just told me about it,” Torres revealed. 

“I rarely got to talk to them because they didn’t look approachable, so I was afraid to talk to them.

“As time went by, I got to know them a little better and I got to train with them, and I realized that they’re far from my first impression of them,” she added. 

Through years of training and shared experiences, she bonded with the brothers. 

Jomary says that Rene is like a father figure because he comes off as strong, stern, and protective to his students. Robin Catalan, on the other hand, is viewed more of a brother who she gets to train with. 

Everyone in the gym treats everyone like family, who they work with to reach their goals and boost each other’s esteem in times of hardship, Jomary further explains. 

“We don’t have problems. If one of us does, then everyone else helps in resolving it. We’re like a huge family here – we provide for those who have none, help those who are in need, and things like that,” she says.

“I’ve been here for over three years already, so we’ve gotten to know each other a lot better. Some of us may not get along so well at times, but that’s just like with any other family.”

Rene will always be a pillar of inspiration in Torres’ life. Not only does he teach and guide her martial arts journey and growth, but he is always there with words of wisdom every time she might need it.

“He always tells us to always do good because nothing good will come out of doing bad things,” she offers. 

“He also speaks about God highly, and he always allows time for us to worship every Sunday. He always tells us to give thanks and praise God before we do anything else in our day.”

In her upcoming bout, Torres is more motivated than ever to defeat the hometown hero Radzuan, and she will be bringing into the ring an improved skill set and a strong sense of faith reinforced by her coach.

“We’re thankful he steered us that way because we wake up every day feeling inspired. I follow Coach Rene’s advice to always pray at night for me to succeed in my career,” she concluded.

“I always pray for a win, and even though there is no certainty that God will give me the win, I always do my part in training and preparing for every fight.”

The post How Rene Catalan Transformed Jomary Torres Into Mixed Martial Arts Star appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Brazilian submission specialist Michelle Nicolini is confident that her opponent, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee, won’t be trying to get into a grappling match with her at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY on Friday, 12 June at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nicolini and Lee are set to clash in a women’s strawweight contest, which will serve as the co-main event for the stacked card. 

“I know Angela well, and I have had the chance to train with her before,” said Nicolini of her upcoming opponent. “She is a good striker, and as we have all seen, her Jiu-Jitsu is very dangerous as well.”

Lee is dangerous on the ground with seven of her nine career victories coming by submission. 

Nicolini, however, is on a different level when it comes to grappling. 

The 37-year old Sao Paulo-native is an eight-time BJJ World Champion, a three-time Pan American BJJ Champion, and a four-time ADCC medalist, among many other accolades in the martial art. 

“She is a well-rounded competitor, but I believe she will try to keep the fight standing when we share the cage in Kuala Lumpur,” Nicolini added. 

Lee will be competing in the strawweight division for just the second time in her career — her first time resulting in a TKO loss to reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion Xiong Jing Nan. 

Nicolini, a long-time strawweight, said Lee could be a mainstay in the 56.7-kilogram women’s division as long as she remains competitive in the weight class. 

“I am of the mindset that we can do whatever we believe in. For me, the women’s Atomweight division is super difficult to make, especially with ONE Championship’s format. I, personally, could not go down and make weight at women’s Atomweight,” said Nicolini. 

“If Angela believes that she can continuously keep coming up to the women’s strawweight division and compete at the same level, then we will see it.”

Nicolini herself is coming off a loss, falling short against former title contender Tiffany Teo back in November. Nicolini has kept herself busy since then by continuously training, learning new things, and addressing the mistakes from her previous loss. 

“Since I came back from my last fight back in November, I have been training so that I continue to learn new things and I am also trying to fix the things that didn’t work for me during that fight.”

“The thing with me is, I do train all the time, even when I don’t have a fight coming up, that way, I can keep my body in good condition all the time. It may not be at 100% all the time, but I know that it is in good condition because I am always training,” she concluded. 

The post Submission specialist Michelle Nicolini expects a stand-up battle with Angela Lee appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.