Filipino strawweight Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales looks to continue his surge in ONE Championship when he travels to Bangkok on Friday, 16 August for another stiff test in his quest to mixed martial arts supremacy.
Gonzales looks to make it four wins in a row when he takes on Hexigetu of China on the undercard of ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD at the Impact Arena.
Considered by many as one of the rising stars in the Filipino martial arts scene, Gonzales – the Kyoskushin karate black belt – doesn't have any plans to break his momentum as he moves closer to the top of his division.
“I’m so happy for this new opportunity – excited and humbled for every fight that is given to me,” Gonzales said.
“My training has been good. Team Kyokushin is always there to help me everyday. We work on our striking and ground skills. Everyday I’m at my best to prepare myself for this bout,” he added.
Gonzales started his career in The Home of Martial Arts on the wrong foot after absorbing consecutive losses. However, the 32-year old finally started heating up as he won three consecutive bouts by submission.
At ONE: TOTAL VICTORY back in September 2017, Gonzales dominated China’s Liu “Little Squirrel” Deligerihu by scoring a submission win by arm-triangle in the second round.
Gonzales upped the ante in his fourth ONE Championship match in Bangkok, Thailand 13 months later at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES. He submitted Dodi “Maung” Mardian of Indonesia by a rear-naked choke in the opening round.
In his last outing, the Filipino star quickly submitted Akihiro Fujisawa of Japan with a tight guillotine choke in the first round at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR in front of his hometown fans in Manila.
The recent string of success gives him the necessary confidence moving forward – and also a reminder of the things he needs to do to succeed.
“Winning consecutively really helps, but more than that it helps me as a person as it makes me strive for more and grateful for what I have,” Gonzales shared.
He might be winning now, but Gonzales knows better than to be overconfident, especially since he is facing a top-notch opponent in Hexigetu.
“The Wolf Of The Grasslands” Hexigetu is a former CMPC 2015 Fighter Of The Year and trains with Beijing’s China Top Team, which is one of China’s foremost martial arts camps.
The Horqin, Inner Mongolia native discovered Mongolian wrestling at an early age, and he later added sanda to his arsenal. In his last outing, Hexigetu registered his first win in ONE Championship with a dominant display against Ovais “The Enigma” Shah in the opening bout of ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT in Bangkok last May.
“Hexigetu is a wrestler as well as a striker. He is also the teammate of one of my opponents before in ONE. That's why I am eager to work hard for this,” Gonzales shared.
But for Gonzales, there is no secret to success.
“Perseverance, determination and focus, those are the things that I need to have against Hexigetu. There are a lot of people who believe in me, it’s all about believing in myself.”
