Robin Catalan Believes His Best Is Yet To Come In 2019

Robin "The Ilonggo" Catalan

Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan is finding form as he reaches his athletic peak.

The Filipino Muay Thai ace has continued to improve from bout to bout through his ONE Championship career, and the 28-year-old is finally starting to achieve the consistency he has been looking for.

Robin Catalan silences the hometown crowd with a powerful unanimous decision victory over Stefer Rahardian!

Robin Catalan silences the hometown crowd with a powerful unanimous decision victory over Stefer Rahardian!Watch the full event LIVE & FREE on the ONE Super App 👉 http://bit.ly/ONESuperApp | TV: Check local listings for global broadcast

Posted by ONE Championship on Saturday, January 19, 2019

At ONE: ETERNAL GLORY on Saturday, 19 January Catalan claimed his third win in his last four contests with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Indonesian star Stefer Rahardian in Jakarta.

Despite conceding a height, reach and hometown advantage to his opponent, Catalan produced an excellent performance as he showcased how his evolving ground game is meshing with his already-sharp striking skills.

He punctuated his success on the feet with a couple of slick takedowns and ground control to seal a convincing victory to kick off his year in The Home Of Martial Arts.

It was his just reward for the dedication he has been putting in at his family-run team, Catalan Fighting Systems.

Robin Catalan YK 5312.jpg

“No doubt my victory was the result of my hard work and will to win,” he says.

“I trained almost every day to sharpen my tools inside the cage. We were able to do all the things that we planned heading [into] that bout and executed them perfectly.”

Catalan may have yielded a few advantages to Rahardian on the night, but he had a not-so-secret weapon on his team – his brother Rene “The Challenger” Catalan.

“The Ilonggo’s” older sibling was the first athlete to defeat the rising Indonesian strawweight star, and created the blueprint from which the family formulated a game plan for his brother to repeat the feat in Jakarta.

“My brother and the things we worked hard on inside the gym were definitely essential in my victory over Rahardian,” he adds.

“My takedown defense was enhanced along with my striking, which was very evident on that evening.”

Robin Catalan YK 5470.jpg

His success took his tally of wins in the world’s largest martial arts organization’s strawweight division up to four – as many as former World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva.

Clearly buoyed by his recent run of form, Catalan is excited for the year ahead and believes he now has the platform to make 2019 the best year of his career to date.

“Seeing positive results inspires you to push yourself more to the limit,” he says.

“My win in Jakarta is just the beginning. Expect more explosive performances from me this coming 2019.

“The best is yet to come.”

More in News

Aslamjon Ortikov vs. Pompet Faceoff
Panpayak Jitmuangnon Silviu Vitez ONE Friday Fights 83 24
Anatoly Malykhin Oumar Kane ONE 169 78
Ok Rae Yoon Alibeg Rasulov ONE Fight Night 23 57
John Lineker Alexey Balyko ONE Fight Night 25 42
Prajanchai PK Saenchai Jonathan Di Bella ONE Friday Fights 68 7
Christian Lee becomes the new ONE Welterweight World Champion
Gilbert Nakatani Hero 1200x1165
Aslamjon Ortikov Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn ONE Friday Fights 54 11
Anatoly Malykhin Oumar Kane ONE 169 68
Rodtang Jitmuangnon Jacob Smith ONE 169 89
Kade Ruotolo Ahmed Mujtaba ONE 169 31