Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang understood firmly that earning that lucrative US$100,000 contract means that he has to swim with the sharks.
And that’s exactly what he plans to do when he collides against no. 5-ranked contender Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Aug. 3 inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Truth be told, Bumina-ang wouldn’t have it any other way as he immediately gets thrown into the fire and tests his mettle with a ranked athlete.
“Sa akin excited pa rin kasi opportunity na makalaban yung nasa top five na,” he said. “Mas nagbigay pa ito sa akin ng fire para pagbutihin pa ang training kasi di basta basta yung kalaban, top five pa. Mas nabigyan ako ng fire na mas magpursigi sa training.”
It’s a pivotal moment for Bumina-ang as he not only makes his promotional debut as a member of the main ONE Championship roster, it also allows him a shot at redemption especially for his Team Lakay stablemates who Baatarkhuu vanquished before.
The Mongolian grappler previously eradicated Adonis Sevilleno at ONE Friday Fights 13 and dealt Jhanlo “The Machine” Sangiao his first defeat at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian.
Knowing that history, Bumina-ang wasted no time getting insights from those two. And you bet, he wants to win this for both Sevilleno and Sangiao.
“Nung natanong ko sila, may weakness daw si Enkh-Orgil sa panga pero matibay pa rin siya. Kaya tinitignan namin yung mga advantage ko na pwedeng gamitin sa laban namin,” he stated.
If there’s one assurance that Bumina-ang can give in the leadup to this match, it’s that he promises the same excitement he brought when he was still grinding for his spot in the ONE Friday Fights circuit.
“Laging prepared pa rin ako for this war and aiming for the head, still trying to finish my opponent,” he vowed.
Fight Game Asia 