Etsrada Donga-as may have lost his debut in ONE Championship Lumpinee, but his exploits in his recent bout earned him adoration from his team.
Donga-as stood toe-to-toe against fellow ONE debutant and undefeated Pham Van Nam in their 128-pound catchweight MMA showdown in ONE Friday Fights 76 at Bangkok, Thailand’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, August 23.
Van Nam aggressively pursued a finish after the opening bell. He took the fight to the ground early and immediately attempted a heel hook followed by relentless ground-and-pound to assert his dominance.
Though Donga-as managed to survive the first round, Van Nam’s sharp striking proved overwhelming in the second. A barrage of left and right hooks floored the Filipino, prompting referee Mohamad Sulaiman to stop the fight at 3:53 of round two.
Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao, despite Donga-as falling short, was all praises.
“It was his debut fight against a champion. He waited and wanted to fight internationally for a long time. It happened. He came short. But he is a warrior. He will get up and fight again tomorrow, as he always been doing in his life, fighting in all aspect, not just literally in the ring,” Sangiao said.
The Team Lakay top honcho added Donga-as has been in the sidelines of the team for nearly 10 years who has been thru several ups and downs but remain focused on his dreams – competing in the international stage.
“I am so proud to finally see him in the international stage and him not winning did not change that, even an inch. I am so proud and I am so grateful for what this kid has achieved despite all the things he needed to endure in his life,” added Sangiao.
Former world flyweight world champion Geje Eustaquio also gave consoling words to Donga-as and not to give up on his dreams.
“Keep grinding. I was once a loser but i made to world championship because i never gave up. Ensayo manen (train again), move forward, that’s the only choice,” said Eustaquio.
Donga-as meanwhile remains upbeat despite the setback as he vowed to get back in the gym and improve on his skills and hopefully return to the biggest stage.
“It is what it is. We win or we learn. I’ll be back soon stronger and better. Still grateful whatever the result. I’m thankful, and blessed because it’s my long – time dream come true to compete in the international level, in the big stage, and one of the best MMA organization in the world,” Donga-as added.
Donga-as also thanked all the Team Lakay supporters for their continued patronage, including to their team manager, Benguet Cong. Eric Go Yap for his unwavering backing of the team.
-TL PR
