Team Lakay’s Jeremy Pacatiw vowed to comeback stronger following a devastating defeat against Fabricio Andrade of Brazil while fellow Filipino fighter Drex Zamboanga nailed an impressive victory against Rahul Raju of India.
Pacatiw and Zamboanga saw action in the undercards of ONE: Full Circle that took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Feb. 25.
The Kapangan, Benguet native Pacatiw started strong landing a hard leg kick and tested the standup fight skills of the Brazilian.
The two fighters exchanged strikes until Andrade unleashed a stinging knee to the body of Pacatiw, who eventually crumpled to the canvass, forcing the referee to stop the fight in round one.
Fabricio improved his mixed martial arts records to seven wins and two losses while Pacatiw now has 10 wins and five losses in his professional MMA resume.
The 32-year-old Zamboanga meanwhile felt comfortable going up from the flyweight to lightweight division with his impressive stoppage of Raju in the very first round.
The Marrok Force fighter was successful in his takedown defense when the Indian fighter tried to force the fight on the ground.
Zamboanga landed a solid right uppercut that floored Raju after the former unleashed a flurry of body punches.
His opponent was already out even before hitting the mat face down.
“I’m feeling great because it has been two years since I fought in the cage. I’m really excited for this fight,” Zamboanga said in a post-fight interview.
“From flyweight to lightweight was not easy because you have to train your speed, your conditioning, you need to be heavy,” added Zamboanga, who is the older brother of ONE atomweight contender Denice. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 18, 2024
