Life goes on for Rene “The Challenger” Catalan and Catalan Fighting System in Makati City amid the island-wide lockdown in Luzon in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While other Filipinos have opted to remain home amid the outbreak, Catalan, his brother Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan, and Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres are still grinding every day to make sure they are ready for when ONE Championship starts calling.
“We’re in survival mode right now, to be honest,” Catalan said.
“For us, we keep on training even though there is no scheduled match because we are just waiting for the go-signal from ONE to compete again. We’ll be ready, especially Robin and Jomary.”
Luckily for them, ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong is not about to leave his athletes behind despite taking drastic measures to curb the spread of the virus.
The next four events will happen behind closed doors in Singapore, which will help both the public and the athletes whose livelihoods are at stake.
“For me, Sir Chatri’s decision to continue the event [behind] closed-doors is the right move,” Catalan said.
“If an event pushes through which is open to the public, there’s a big possibility for disease transmission. It’s a good and right move to push for closed-doors, as long as the competition continues.”
But Catalan is still hopeful that the next time he competes, it will be in front of a crowd. And he is targeting a return at ONE INFINITY 1 on May 29 at the Mall Of Asia Arena in the Philippines.
If things go well over the next few weeks, then ONE Championship could be returning to normal on that day.
But if he is called upon sooner, “The Challenger” has no issues competing in a closed-door event.
“I hope to be included on the card on May 29, but right now there’s still no invitation,” Catalan said.
“But I am willing to compete anytime. We badly need it.”
For now, Catalan waits and prepares as he prays that this ordeal finds its ending soon. And he has a message to all his supporters and ONE Championship fans on how to get through these tough times.
“To my fellow Filipinos, stay healthy. Boost your immunity. Find a way to exercise, even if you’re locked in at home,” Catalan said.
“The most important thing is to reconcile with our almighty God through the gift that is Jesus Christ.”
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