ONE Championship (Photo : ONE Championship)
ONE Championship flyweight Alex "Little Rock" Silva of Brazil is on a two-fight win streak since joining the promotion in 2012. His last two bouts ended in spectacular first round submissions and now he looks for his third straight victory at ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS.
Silva (3-1) will take on Filipino flyweight Robin Catalan (5-1) who is making his promotional debut. The pair do battle in a three-round bout at the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar scheduled for March 18.
What's interesting here is that Silva is not only gunning for his third consecutive win in ONE Championship, but also his third consecutive win over a Catalan.
The 25-year old Robin Catalan comes after Silva had already beaten his brothers Ruel and Rene. Robin is the youngest of the Catalan siblings, and is also perhaps the most talented.
Catalan has amassed a 5-1 record so far in his young mixed martial arts career. He is also a winner of four straight bouts, including three straight within the distance.
Apart from his lone loss back in Guam in 2013, this will be Catalan's first time outside of the Philippines since then and it comes on the largest international MMA stage in Asia.
Suffice to say, this Catalan will be the toughest Silva has yet to face.
Silva on the other hand has only lost to Team Lakay stalwart Geje "Gravity" Eustaquio.
He has all the tools that Brazilian fighters are representative of -- such as solid striking skills and a highly technical jiu-jitsu ground game, but Silva will need more to get through Catalan.
"I'm surprised that I'm fighting another Catalan, but it doesn't matter to me," said Silva. "Robin [Catalan] is just another opponent that I have to get through."
He'll have to bring out all the stops, put his best foot forward and give the fans a show. Aside from this, Silva also hopes this will be the last of the Catalan siblings he'll have to fight.
"I'm thankful for my Catalan tour of duty, but sooner or later, it has to end," said Silva. "Robin and I will put on a memorable fight for all the fans and then I can finally put this behind me."
Silva, 33, fights but once a year but when he does, Silva makes sure to put all the goods on full display. The fact that Silva has gotten the best of the two Catalans that have come before -- a fighting family known for their exceptional Wushu Sanshou base -- is the real deal.
It may have come as a surprise to Silva that he's facing another member of the Catalan family, but he'll take whatever he can get.
"I just want to prove my skills inside the cage," said Silva. "There is no better sport than mixed martial arts and no better proving ground than the ONE Championship cage. I've been away for a while and I'm excited to get back in there and feel the rush of competition."
