Vaughn Donayre enters the ring before a fight in the ONE Championship MMA promotion. (Photo : Promotional Image/ONE Championship)
Vaughn Donayre was one of the most promising fighters to come out of the Philippines when he made his debut in the ONE Championship fight promotion over two years ago. However, his road to stardom in the sport of mixed martial arts has encountered a number of rough patches since then.
For starters, due to the fact that he joined Asia's largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, Donayre has had to face much tougher opposition. For starters, Emirati Mohammed Walidin submitted him in the first round of his debut contest in ONE Championship. He did not fare much better in his second contest, after he was defeated via stoppage in the first round once again, this time by Malaysian combatant Peter Davis.
Donayre faired much better in his third contest in ONE Championship, as he was only narrowly defeated by former ONE featherweight champion Honorio Banario. His fourth contest; however, was once against a loss, as he succumbed to the superior grappling skills of Singaporean prospect Amir Khan. Donayre was actually in a dominant position throughout the fight, but a well-executed double leg takedown allowed Khan to get into a good submission to submit Donayre, Rappler reported.
Donayre has not been deterred though, and is now looking for his first ever win in ONE Championship against Dutch-Indonesian fighter Vincent Latoel. Latoel himself is looking to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak at the expense of his Filipino opposition.
The fight between Donayre and Latoel will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center on the undercard for ONE: QUEST FOR POWER. Their matchup will take place on Jan. 14, 2017.
"It's not surprising that I have this fight. I asked for another fight immediately right after the bout against Amir Khan in November. Even if I win or lose, I will fight again anytime," Donayre told ABS-CBN Sports. "I need this win. I can't lose forever. It feels like I've been losing forever already. But this is my chance to prove that there is a light at the end of tunnel. No one stays on the losing side," he added.
Watch the fight between Vaughn Donayre and Amir Khan below:
