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It has been ten months since Rene Catalan fought in ONE Championship and he is hungry to get back inside the cage.
Catalan revealed that he is in talks with ONE Championship for another fight and is hoping one materializes soon.
"I'm really thirsty for a fight. I won't waste the opportunity. This is a window for me to get back in the rankings," said Catalan to Sportskeeda via a telephonic interview. "There is so much eagerness and I'm hungry like a lion."
The 42-year-old fight veteran admitted that the pandemic made it hard for him to compete abroad due to the extensive protocols set in the Philippines. ONE Championship required its fighters to be fully vaccinated before flying to Singapore. It took time before the Philippine government called Catalan's number for the shots.
Once a title contender for the ONE strawweight championship, 'D' Challenger' finds himself falling out of the rankings after not competing for a long time.
Catalan's last fight was against Bokang Masunyane in December 2020. He lost the bout after getting knocked out in the first round. Catalan claims to have learned from his loss and is excited to showcase new additions to his repertoire.
"I am much more aware of what the competition in front of me can bring," shared Catalan. "From sticking and the ground game, I will see to it to be more active in my next fight."
Still waiting for the go-signal from the promotion, Catalan makes sure that he is always prepared mentally and physically. His primary motivation is to win his next fight to help his team survive through the pandemic.
Keeping himself busy until his next ONE fight
As the founder of the Catalan Fighting System (CFS), the Filipino is also preparing for the next set of ONE Championship fighters to come out of his stable.
Catalan once had a six-fight streak in ONE Championship. The run earned him a title fight against reigning champion Joshua Pacio. The Filipino lost the fight after tapping out to an arm-triangle choke in the second round.
Along with his family, Rene Catalan founded CFS in 2010. The gym offers training programs in boxing, Muay Thai and MMA. CFS has brought several fighters to ONE Championship. Four members of the Catalan family have competed in the promotion. Rene and Robin Catalan have registered wins in ONE. Rabin and Rocel Catalan are yet to win a bout in the promotion.
