Julaton sets sights on ONE FC title

MANILA, Philippines - Former two-time WBO/IBA female superbantamweight queen Ana (Hurricane) Julaton vowed the other day to become the first-ever Filipina ONE FC mixed martial arts (MMA) champion and said she will do whatever it takes to ascend the throne, fighting anyone willing to step into the cage anywhere, anytime.

Julaton, 34, made her ONE FC debut at the Mall of Asia Arena last May, stopping Aya Saeid Saber at 3:59 of the third round with a torrent of punches and elbows. She’s booked to take on Malaysia’s “poster girl” Ann (Athena) Osman in another ONE FC event in Dubai on Aug. 29.

Osman, 28, has been featured in TIME Magazine and New York Times for her breakthrough in MMA as a Muslim fighter. She lost to Sherilyn Lim on a split decision in her MMA debut in Singapore last October. A March rematch was cancelled when Lim failed to make weight. Lim, a former Muay Thai kickboxer, is widely popular in Malaysia. She earned a computer science degree at the Universiti Putra Malaysia and works as a business development manager in a property company. Despite her full-time job, Osman trains four to five hours a day in the gym.

“Ana knows that anyone who signs to fight her wants to take her down,” said Julaton’s chief trainer Angelo Reyes. “Ana realizes she’s the fighter with the name and recognition as champion. Osman and her team seem to be very confident of beating Ana. Let’s find out when they fight. This is another tough match for Ana and in ONE FC where authentic MMA rules apply, there are no easy fights.”

Julaton said she expects Osman to show up in fine form. “I originally had a different opponent (Russia’s Irina Mazepa) and when that fell through, Ann jumped at the opportunity to fight me,” said Julaton. “Ann is game. I look forward to this match and it will be an explosive bout for fight fans. I plan to put on my best, showcasing my skills and bringing something new into the cage. My last fight was exciting as it was a toe-to-toe battle. I fought out of submission attempts, attacked with body slams, knees and elbows. For this fight, I expect to bring the same kind of excitement.”

Julaton’s ONE FC debut was a barn-burner. She survived a rear naked choke attempt to turn the tables on Saber. “Manila was truly a welcoming experience and I’m still digesting over the thought of winning my MMA debut in the Philippines,” she said. “I’ve had dreams of fighting in Manila and for everything to happen the way it did, I would take none of it back. Even when I was in the guillotine choke hold. The arena was electrifying and to hear the support from everyone there, at that very moment, there was no way I was going to let anyone down. I remember getting so pumped up that when I broke free of the choke hold, I wanted to just slam my opponent which I eventually did thrice in a row that round. It was surreal.”

Julaton was recently in Dubai to promote the coming ONE FC event. “This is the biggest ONE FC event thus far and will make an incredible effort to reach out to the Filipino community,” she said. “Every country I’ve travelled to, I always run into a kababayan and I love knowing there is a huge Filipino community in Dubai. I want to represent all global Filipinos and with the stage ONE FC provides, I’m happy to know I can connect with all my people throughout the world. ONE FC is a world-class organization and has the biggest outreach for MMA in all of Asia. I’m so excited to get a chance to see all my supporters in Dubai.”

Julaton said ONE FC’s authentic MMA rules guarantee slam-bang action in every bout. “In my opinion, ONE FC is a true fighting organization,” she said. “It follows the authentic rules which allow soccer kicks against a downed opponent, 12-to-6 elbow strikes and leg strikes on the ground. This rule set is intense. I have an extensive contract with ONE FC and I look forward to putting on exciting fights for our MMA audience for years to come. It’s exciting to know that every time I step into the ONE FC cage, there are one billion people watching in over 70 countries.”

Julaton is now training full-blast in Las Vegas with Reyes and MMA coach Chris Ben Tchavtsavadse. “I’m dedicating this fight to my boxing promoter Allan Tremblay who’s been battling cancer and is getting the better end of his fight,” she said. “What he’s been able to accomplish over the years is unbelievable and I’m happy to have him be a part of my life. I’ve been through a lot over the years in the fight industry. Allan and Angelo have always had my back. It’s not easy being a woman fighter and here I am, still following my passion. I’m just living the moment and focusing on my game and abilities to be ready for anyone in the cage. My goal is to become the first Filipina MMA ONE FC champion so I will continue to focus on what I have to do and not so much on a particular opponent. I will fight anyone who wants to sign a contract to step into the ring or the cage with me anywhere, anytime.”