Ilonggo Rene Catalan set for highly-anticipated return in ONE FC

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The pride of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo is making a return to the ONE Championship ring.

Former number one contender in the Strawweight division Rene “The Challenger” Catalan will be testing his mitts once again as he announced his return to the world of mixed martial arts in ONE: NextGen III on November 26, 2021, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

However, the road to glory will not come that easy for the Ilonggo striker as he will be facing a familiar foe that defeated him eight years ago, former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva.

During their last square-off, the debuting Catalan saw himself crumble at the hands of Silva who submitted him in the very first round of their clash.

Eager to get back at Silva, Catalan will have the chance to equalize their head-to-head matchup and re-enter himself in the winning column of the prestigious MMA tournament.

Catalan is coming off a disappointing loss to no. 2-ranked Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane during his last fight and is looking to avoid a second-straight loss.

The last time that Catalan caught a two-match slump, he used it as motivation to rack up six-straight ONE FC victories.

“I’m inspired. There’s a fire in my heart, and I’m eager to bounce back,” Catalan said.

Co-Filipino MMA fighter Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang will be headlining the ONE: NextGen III as he clashes with Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks.