Rene “The Challenger” Catalan had his fair share of losses in the past, and he was the perfect example of an athlete who was able to overcome disappointments.
Now it’s all about imparting those lessons to his brother Robin who, after a promising stretch, was sent crashing back to earth by Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit.
The younger Catalan missed on a chance to propel himself at the top tier of the strawweight division after a first round TKO loss at the hands of the hometown hero at ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT last Friday, 10 May, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Although Robin was set back by the defeat, Rene isn’t losing hope on his brother, knowing his capabilities and his ability to bounce back from bad losses.
“Losing is a part of being an athlete, that’s where we learn, that’s where we improve,” said the elder Catalan.
“I told him to keep on training. I also told him that he was able to face one of the best strikers in the division. Next time he’ll learn to counter and stick to the game plan,” he added.
“For me, he won by getting experience alone.”
The parallels between the two are pretty close.
Back in 2014, Rene was pretty much in the same position – as he lost to former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke by knockout following a knee to the body – the same way Robin lost to Mitsatit.
Since then, Rene racked up six-straight wins against top opposition putting him in a good position to challenge for the World Title currently held by compatriot Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of Team Lakay.
For Rene, World Champions are made through those losses and he believes that experience will only give the 27-year-old the necessary experience moving forward.
“I know he learned a lot from that loss. He just needs to absorb everything that he learned in the loss,” said Catalan.
“I expect him to be better. I expect him to be the best mixed martial artist he can be.”