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Eight years after submitting Catalan, Alex Silva warns Filipino of his improved striking game

Fresh off a victory over Miao Li Tao, the former World Champion takes on Filipino Rene "The Challenger" Catalan at the previously recorded ONE: NEXTGEN III this Friday, 26 November - a rematch eight years in the making.

Alex Silva

Bengaluru, November 22: Alex Silva is one of the most experienced contenders in the ONE Strawweight division, and at 39-years-old, the Brazilian is confident that he can collect another stretch of victories and get a second shot at ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua "The Passion" Pacio.

Fresh off a victory over Miao Li Tao, the former World Champion takes on Filipino Rene "The Challenger" Catalan at the previously recorded ONE: NEXTGEN III this Friday, 26 November - a rematch eight years in the making.

Both athletes faced off at ONE: KINGS & CHAMPIONS in April 2013. The fight was Silva's third MMA appearance, and it marked Catalan's debut in the all-encompassing sport. It was also a clash between two World Champions - Silva, a BJJ World Champion, and Catalan, a Wushu World Champion.

The fight came to a quick conclusion when Silva forced Catalan to tap via armbar at 4:34 of the first round.

"It was a short fight. I was able to finish the fight in the first round," Silva said.

"I just started very aggressively with my grappling, pressured him against his defense, took him down, [and] controlled him on the ground a little bit. And I kind of backed up and I was able to take him down, take his back, and get an armbar submission."

Silva believes that Catalan has improved in that time, and admits his arsenal is far more complete too.

"Definitely, both of us are completely different fighters now," he said.

"In my mind, we were kind of like white belts in MMA when we first fought, but we improved a lot. Of course, he has improved a lot. His grappling, his wrestling, and his striking are outstanding, but I improved a lot too. I can strike now."

This time around, Silva knows a victory against "The Challenger" will not come easy. He will have to earn it against his 42-year-old rival. But at the same time, Silva wants to maintain his spot as the #4-ranked athlete in the strawweight division, and, if possible, would love to climb up the rankings with a solid win over Catalan.

"Little Rock" holds a huge advantage over Catalan in the grappling department, and his striking has improved while at Evolve MMA in Singapore.

He now wants to unleash a memorable performance, and despite the eight-year gap since their last fight, he is still confident that his grappling will get the job done against the much-evolved Catalan inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday.

"Like I said, back to when we fought for the first time, I couldn't strike well. I couldn't even strike. I [was] just like 100 percent pure grappling. Now, I feel that I can stay more on the feet if I have to and use my grappling," he said.

"I think God knows what's going to happen, but I predict a submission in the second round."

Fans in India can watch ONE: NEXTGEN III on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2 at 6 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on Friday, 26 November. Alternatively, download the ONE Super App to catch all the action.

Source: Media Release

Story first published: Monday, November 22, 2021, 14:22 [IST]
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