BAGUIO CITY — Two rising star fighters of Team Lakay, are now carving out their names into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), dreaming to bring glory to their families and the country.
Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao believes Carlos Alvarez and Carlo Von Bumina-ang’s time has finally arrived. This after the impressive victories the two displayed in their recent fights, he beamed. For the past years, Messrs. Alvarez and Bumina-ang have been under the limelight while honing their MMA skills.
With the exit of some of Team Lakay’s former world champions, both Messrs. Alvarez and Bumina-ang are now in the position to carry the torch for the Benguet-based squad and pave their own paths too.
Mr. Bumina-ang recently showcased to the world what he is capable of after dispatching Reza Saedi less than a minute in his debut at ONE Friday Fights 27 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The multi-medalled SEA Games athlete returned to MMA and needed only 52 seconds to finish off the Iranian wrestler with his lethal striking.
A booming left straight rocked Mr. Saedi, and Mr. Bumina-ang wasted no time by following it up with a barrage of straights, uppercuts and knees, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
Mr. Alvarez meanwhile had two impressive victories since turning professional this year, after scoring a second-round technical knockout over Reza Abasi in his debut last April 21 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
The Filipino worked to get a submission after throwing knees to the head but was unsuccessful but in round two, he got the full mount that allowed him to unleash vicious ground and pound that drew a cut on the side of Mr. Abasi’s left eye.
In his second outing, Mr. Alvarez also scored an impressive second-round submission win over Sadegh Ghasemi in July also at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. In just the 1:23 of the second frame, Mr. Alvarez set Ghasemi up for a D’Arce choke. — Artemio A. Dumlao
