As a professional mixed martial arts fighter for seven years now, Team Lakay’s Jeremy Pacatiw said the $50,000 performance bonus from the top honcho of ONE Championship is life changing.
The 26-year-old fighter from Kapa-ngan, Benguet acknowledged the hardship Filipino athletes face while pursuing their respective fields.
So when Pacatiw sealed a second round triangle choke submission against Tial Thang in the undercard of ONE: 164 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Dec. 3 and ONE chief Chatri Sityodtong awarded him the performance bonus on top of his fight purse, the Igorot fighter was grateful.
“Having that bonus is life changing because as a martial artist, it’s very hard,” he said.
“We’re very blessed. We are thankful to Sir Chatri because we impressed him, and he gave us a $50,000 bonus. I’m speechless,” he added.
Pacatiw is the only journeyman at Team Lakay being the only Filipino fighter, who fought in different parts of the world when he was with Brave Combat Federation from 2016 to 2019.
He signed a contract with ONE Championship in 2021, the same year he made a successful debut with the promotion when he won via unanimous decision against Rui Chen.
His loss to title contender Fabricio Andrade of Brazil in February this year has motivated him to come back strong, which paved the way for his victory against Thang.
“As a martial artist, we need to train everything, not only one arsenal. This is mixed martial arts, and it’s composed of a lot of disciplines. With the proper and right people in the gym, we train and hone our arsenal,” Pacatiw said. – Harley F. Palangchao
