MANILA, Philippines – After winning the first round of the three-tiered The Road to the UFC in Shanghai the other week, Filipino-American Mark Climaco is reflecting on being a few steps closer to realizing his dream of making the world’s top combat sports organization.
“It was a great fight against a young and talented opponent,” Climaco said of his unanimous decision triumph over Jung Hyun-Lee, where all three judges awarded the fight in favor of the former, 30-27, last May 27 at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China.
He advanced to the semifinals of the flyweight competition, where he will take on Japanese flyweight Rei Tsuruya, who also advanced after submitting Indonesia’s Ronal Siahaan.
“He (Hyun-Lee) had some moments but I controlled the majority of the fight,” related Mark. “I feel though there were some things I could have done better and I plan on making those adjustments and coming back better for the next one.”
This includes arriving much earlier to acclimatize to the different time zone wherever the fight may be.
“The jet lag was hard to deal with since I arrived only four days before the fight. So I plan on flying out earlier next time,” said Climaco.
Coming two steps closer, Climaco is ecstatic to be the only one in the last four Filipino fighters to advance beyond the first round.
“It felt great to get the win, but the job is not yet finished. There is more work to do and I have to stay focused on the next fight,” he added.
The semifinals of the Road to UFC is temporarily slated for August this year with the exact date and venue to be determined.
“I look forward to the next challenge that is for sure,” summed up Climaco, who improved to 9-1-0 in MMA.
The Road to UFC, including all UFC events, are televised live every week on the Premier Sports channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGo TV application.