In this corner, meet Ana Julaton
Ana Julaton is a world-class boxer who has also successfully made the transition to mixed martial arts. The switch is complicated because you now have to incorporate many other disciplines and not just striking alone. But she has already had three fights and her record shows an impressive two convincing victories and one very close decision loss.
As “The Hurricane” prepares for her mega fight with Irina Mazepa at the MOA Arena for the ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions card, she shares her thoughts in this interview:
THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What are your thoughts about the upcoming fight against Irina?
ANA JULATON: It was the fight that was supposed to happen last year and she wasn’t to pull it off because of an injury down when I had to fight in Dubai. That was when Ann Osman stepped in. So I mean, it was a fight that was ready to be made and I’m glad it was happening in Manila. I am looking forward to this fight, I’m pumped!
Mazepa debuted impressively with a first round KO of Ann Osman ...
Irina is a powerful striker for sure. To see what she did to Osman in Malaysia in front of a sold-out hometown crowd was spectacular and proved Mazepa could fight and had no pressure as the visitor. But even when she won the fight, my heart didn’t skip a beat. I mean I was looking for it anyhow, she had a really good game.
Did you learn anything from watching that fight?
I know that she’s strong, she’s experienced in the stand-up, but I also know that she’s limited in certain areas and I see that as an advantage on my side.
What have you been working on since your last fight?
Ana with coach Ricky Lundell: “He is super organized, and he knows which buttons to push to make me want to work.”
I’ve stayed busy at Bishop Gorman, training four times a week to integrate grappling techniques to my overall game. I worked hard with my coach, Ricky Lundell, who has helped me improve my ground game. I’ve got to credit a lot to my team, and my coach is super organized, and he knows which buttons to push to make me want to work.
What are your future plans?
I got a couple of fights left with ONE Championship and I’m looking forward to finishing off with some really, really homerun knockout performances. Like when I take care of Irina, I wanna call Ann Osman like you know, it’s up to the play. I really finish your job and I was going in and continue with our job and then let’s get it on.
More and more young girls are getting into the sport of MMA. What are your thoughts on this and what can you tell parents who are worried that it is a dangerous sport?
It’s great that young girls are excited about MMA. For parents who are worried about the sport itself, I recommend that they enroll their daughter in a traditional martial art, especially if the daughter is practicing a modern sport like boxing, wrestling, etc. A good martial art school teaches discipline and confidence. It also develops fundamentals in stance, balance, timing, mental and physical endurance, etc. When traditional martial arts are combined with combative sports, martial arts will teach the practitioner how to deal with adversity, which is important in fighting and in life. Such involvement creates an opportunity for the family to get personally involved. It is crucial for parents to understand the basics of combat and the differences in sport vs. real combat situations. Education is key in dealing with the “dangerous” image of MMA that an uneducated person may see. It is dangerous for anyone to enter the cage without proper training and knowledge. There is technique in martial arts and MMA is a craft that can be appreciated by all.
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