Team Lakay’s Carlos Alvarez’s hope to be in the ONE Championship main roster that comes with a $100,000 contract is within reach following his impressive win against his Iranian opponent at ONE Friday Fights 25 in Bangkok, Thailand on July 14.
The 24-year-old Alvarez finished the fight against Sadegh Ghasemi via D’Arce choke that forced the Iranian fighter to tap at the 1:23 mark in the second round.
Alvarez, who improved his professional mixed martial arts record to three wins against zero loss, has displayed he was the more dominant fighter, as he almost finished the fight in the first round via headlock submission.
Alvarez’ performance at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium also brought a strong message that the grappling skills of Team Lakay fighters have improved tremendously.
Aside from executing the signature Team Lakay wushu strikes, Alvarez showed no fear in engaging the Iranian fighter on the ground, as he controlled the action from start to finish in their featherweight match.
The Cordilleran fighter was originally booked to fight Reza Saedi, also of Iran, but there was a last minute change in the fight card that saw him facing another opponent instead.
“I was surprised that he was so tough. I didn’t submit him in the first round, but in the second round, I kept tight,” Alvarez said in a post-fight interview.
“Of course, I want a contract to be part of the ONE Championship roster and I know I can perform well,” he added. – Harley F. Palangchao
