CEBUANO FIGHTS FOR $100K CONTRACT
YawYan Ardigma’s Allan Albindo joins ONE FC development league for a shot at $100,000 contract
IT IS Allan Albindo’s courage, hunger and dedication to his craft that earned him a spot in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series (OWS).
According to MMA legend and current ONE Championship vice-president Rich Franklin, Albindo’s approach to the game was determining factor in choosing him as one of the Filipinos who will compete in ONE Championship’s developmental league.
“I went hiking through the canyons at Kawasan Falls. When we stepped up to the 15-meter fall, he jumped with excitement, no hesitation. He approaches competition the same way,” Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion, told SunStar Cebu.
Franklin was in Cebu last week to see Albindo and to film his show about the OWS. He also shared his knowledge in MMA by teaching kids last Sunday at the Yaw-Yan Ardigma Cebu Gym.
Franklin believes that Filipino athletes are way ahead of their Southeast Asian counterparts because of the early inception of MMA here in the country.
“Filipino athletes are ahead of their competition in the Southeast Asia for two reasons. First, the Philippines was exposed to Mixed Martial Arts years before other countries in the region were. As such, the athletes here have been able to study arts like wrestling and jiu-jitsu longer and figure out how to incorporate them into their already existing stand-up art,” said Franklin. “As I just said, the athletes here are ahead of the curve. But here is my advice to aspiring athletes here, the talent pool in this country is fragmented due to geography. If you are on the outskirts training, travel to some of the well-known camps for a week of training here and there. Always look to improve your game, and those resources help.”
The 22-year-old Albindo, a native of Argao, is unbeaten in the amateur level with a 7-0 record. He’s also undefeated in muay thai and kickboxing with a 4-0 slate.
Albindo has a chance to earn a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship if he puts on an impressive performance in the OWS. /