Rene "The Challenger" Catalan anticipates a grueling pace against ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua "The Passion" Pacio.
The clash between two of the best athletes in the Philippines takes place at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE this Friday, 8 November.
“This will be the most important and hardest battle as a martial artist,” Catalan said.
“I see Joshua as a young and determined athlete, but what makes him special aside from his determination is he’s also very passionate with what he does.”
The 40-year-old expects Pacio to put the pressure from the start, given the 17-year age differential between them.
But the Ilonggo thinks the defending World Champion will find a balance between being active and being cautious, which he hopes to figure out come event night.
“I think his scrambling is one of the things I have to watch out for,” Catalan said.
“They know me as a wushu artist. One of the things they could try against me is to pressure me because they know I am not that young. He’s well-trained in execution, and he won’t be reckless.”
Though he thinks highly of Pacio, the pride of Iloilo City and former multi-titled wushu practitioner is confident he will find answers to whatever Team Lakay throws at him during the World Title match.
“I am preparing for anything they might throw at me. I’m training on the ground and honing my striking. By being prepared against their possible strategies, I will be able to neutralize him,” Catalan said.
“I’m not worried about his striking or even his ground game. I know their capabilities on both aspects of the game, and even if their training, conditioning, and scrambles may be top-notch, I think I can handle them.”
ONE Championship returns to Manila for one last time this year with ONE: MASTERS OF FATE this Friday, 8 November at the Mall Of Asia Arena.