After missing the cut the last time out, Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales gets another shot at his Chinese foe.
The Filipino karateka is scheduled to face “The Wolf of the Grasslands” Hexigetu once more in ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China on 16 November.
They were originally scheduled to meet at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD in Bangkok last August, but the bout had to be scratched off after Gonzales failed hydration.
Now wiser and more diligent, Gonzales vows to not fall into the same trap.
“I am excited that I have been given another opportunity by ONE Championship – I feel blessed,” Gonzales said.
“I was so disappointed with myself the last time. It was a really tough time for me as an athlete, but I always take that kind of situation as a challenge.”
The 31-year-old insists that he has learned his lessons, seeing how The Home Of Martial Arts uses the hydration tests to protect the health and safety of their athletes.
“I’ve learned a lot. I am now making sure that when I lose weight, I am still healthy. I must always take those factors, like hydration, into consideration.”
In the middle of a three-match winning streak, the Kyokushin Karate black belt believes another spectacular performance next month could secure his place in the upper echelon of the loaded strawweight division.
“I know a win here would put me in a better position in the rankings, but on top of that my main goal for every match is to win and learn,” Gonzales said.
“All of my matches are important, but this is different. I’m eager to win this match because I know new opportunities will open for me – new lessons and a new start for the coming year.” Gonzales, who owns a 4-2 record, is happy that ONE Championship paired him against Hexigetu once more, given that he has already trained hard against his Chinese counterpart since their first bout was scheduled in Bangkok.
“The Bicolano” insists that nothing has changed with his game plan, only that he is more familiar with his foe now than he was three months ago.
“The cancellation of our bout gave me more time to review his previous matches and to learn more about him because I knew I was going to meet him again in the future,” Gonzales said.
“I know that Hexigetu is a dangerous opponent and I have no plans of being complacent against him.”
“But I am eager and determined to win this because this is a second chance that was given to me by ONE.”
ONE Championship returns to Manila for one last time this year with ONE: MASTERS OF FATE on 8 November at the Mall Of Asia Arena.
Get your tickets at smtickets.com and use the code “onewarrior” for a 20% discount.