In the wake of the recent setbacks faced by Carlos Alvarez and Dave Bangguigui on the ONE Friday Fights stage, Philippine MMA is gearing up for a comeback with the formidable duo of Fritz Biagtan and Carlo Bumina-ang.
Both men are booked to suit up at ONE Friday Fights 44, which takes place at the world-renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on December 8.
Biagtan squares off with Afghanistan’s Babar Ali in a flyweight encounter, while Bumina-ang faces Turkish-Russian debutant Ilyas Dursun in a bantamweight clash.
Biagtan (6-1) has been making waves with his impressive performances on the weekly spectacle.
Having secured two consecutive victories spectacularly, “Kid Tornado” is hungry for a third win that could solidify his spot on the main roster, complete with a coveted $100,000 contract.
His remarkable run began this past February, when he announced his arrival by stopping Nurmukhammad Adamkhonov with a third-round technical knockout.
Biagtan’s striking prowess continued to shine in his next bout, securing a blistering 73-second knockout of Deepak Bhardwaj last October. This victory also rewarded him with a $10,000 performance bonus.
Now, standing in his way is Ali, a fellow hard-hitting striker with a 100-percent finishing rate and a 6-2 record.
As Biagtan seeks to further establish himself, Ali aims to make a statement at the expense of the 28-year-old spitfire from Dasmariñas, Cavite.
(C) ONEFC.com
Like Biagtan, Bumina-ang (3-0) is another Filipino mixed martial arts prospect who has also enjoyed success in ONE Friday Fights.
Bumina-ang’s memorable debut in August featured a spectacular 52-second demolition of Reza Saedi.
However, “The Bull” faced a tougher challenge in his most recent outing, narrowly walking away with a split decision win over Denis Andreev two months later.
Eager to redeem himself and rejuvenate his image as one of the blue-chip prospects in Philippine MMA, Bumina-ang crosses paths with Dursun.
With an undefeated 3-0 standing and two victories by stoppage, Dursun poses a significant threat to Bumina-ang’s aspirations.
As the year draws to a close, Biagtan and Bumina-ang stand as the final two homegrown talents from the Philippines scheduled to compete under the ONE Championship banner in 2023.
