THREE Filipino fighters hope to redeem their glories after consecutive setbacks, as the One Fighting Championship heads to Indonesia for the “Tribe of Warriors” on February 20.
The thrilling fight cards, to be headlined by hard-fisted welterweights Luis “Sapo” Santos slugging it out with Rafael “The Machine” Silva, will feature the return of Filipinos Rocky Batolbatol, Jimmy Yabo and Trestel Tan in action against top fighters in their divisions.
Batolbatol, a professional boxer-turned-mixed-martial arts (MMA) practitioner, will square off with Dutch jiu-jitsu figher Anthony Engelen.
The Bacolod native’s painful loss against Martin Nguyen via rear-naked choke in November 2014 fuels his goal in finishing Engelen, as his spectacular knockout record will surely be an advantage when he tangles with the grappling ace.
The 34-year-old Yabo, meanwhile, will face Bashir Ahmad of Pakistan, while Tan will test Indonesian-Mexican Djatmiko Waluyo in the other undercard match of the largest sports media property in Asia.
Yabo, an Ultimate Reality Combat Championship veteran, had a pair of losses in the cage from his transition to MMA, a submission lost against fellow Filipino Edward Kelly and to Amir Khan via stoppage in the first round.
Tan, on the other hand, got a technical knockout defeat against Jeff Huang, as he tries to be in the winning column when he takes on the undefeated Waluyo.
“Jakarta will always be one of our favorite destinations because of its energy and passion for mixed-martial arts,” One CEO Victor Cui stated. “Tribe of Warriors is set to bring out the best in our local and international superstars, and we’re excited fans another electrifying action.”