Matapos ang matagumpay na laban niya sa Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, handa na ulit si Rockie Bactol na buksan ang susunod na kabanata ng kanyang mixed martial arts career.
Ang 19 anyos na Pilipino na nakatira sa Bangkok ay makakalaban ang ONE Warrior Series alumnus Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa mula sa Japan sa undercard ng ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS na gaganapin sa Mall of Asia Arena ngayong Biyernes, ika-23 ng Nobyembre
Si Bactol ay isa sa mga atleta na nabigyan ng six-figure ONE Championship contract matapos niyang matalo ang kababayan na si Mark Cuizon na napasuko niya sa unang round pa lang.
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“Ever since I was young, I have always wanted to be a world champion in mixed martial arts. Now, I am going to work my way up, work hard, and fight, fight, fight, until I get my chance at a world title,” sabi niya sa onefc.com.
“All my hard work has led me here. I’m very excited, this is another huge step on my way to reaching my dreams,” dagdag ni Bactol.
Si Bactol na may anim na sunod sunod na panalo at walang talo noong panahon na baguhan pa lamang siya ay naniniwala na ang kanyang pagsisikap ang susi sa isang matagumpay na career.
Ngayon ay pinagpapatuloy niya ang pagkakaroon ng dedikasyon na meron siya noon bago pa man siya makilala ng pinakamalaking martial arts organization, ang ONE Championship.
“If you want something, you need to work hard for it. It doesn't matter if you have talent, talent won't be enough. Hard work beats talent,” pahayag niya.
“Whatever I have right now it is because of my hard work and will to succeed. My hunger to learn and to improve is always part of my system,” pagpapaliwanag ni Bactol.
Nilahad din ni Bactol na ang mahirap na pagsasanay na pinagdaanan niya noong nagsisimula pa lamang siya ay isang malaking bagay sa pagbabago niya ngayon bilang isang fearless competitor.
“At first, training was hard – my training partners were champions, and had, like, 150 fights. I was the only foreigner that they didn’t go easy on. Every time I was there for training, they always gave me 100 percent,” sa pagkakaalala niya. “And it paid off.”
Bagaman inaasahan niyang maraming manonood sa kanya sa debut niya sa main roster, mas ginaganahan siya sa pagsubok na ito at umaasa na magkakaroon ng magandang career sa ilalim ng ONE Championship.
“I can’t wait to display my skills in front of my fellow Filipinos. This is what I trained for, and this is the path for me to reach my dreams. I will go all-out on Friday and show the world that I’m ready to the challenge,” pagtatapos niya.
