Team Lakay rising star Carlo Bumina-ang has ran through everyone in front of him, winning five straight fights at Lumpinee Stadium, four of which came from finishes at the weekly ONE Fight Night spectacle.
It wasn’t even a year ago when
Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang made his ONE Friday Fights debut as a virtual unknown to anyone outside of Team Lakay and its most arduous followers in the Cordilleras.
Months later, he’s turned himself into one of the most undeniable talents in ONE Championship.
Now, he makes his US primetime debut on
ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart against
Asa “The American Ninja” Ten Pow in a three-round bantamweight MMA bout on August 3 inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Team Lakay rising star ran through everyone in front of him, winning five straight fights at Lumpinee Stadium, four of which came from finishes at the weekly spectacle.
He snagged a US$100,000 contract to ONE Championship after his second-round submission win over Chayan Oorzhak, displaying grit, mental toughness, and that signature go-for-broke style to prove his readiness for the global stage.
Now that he’s there, Bumina-ang isn’t planning on letting the opportunity slip.
“This feeling is unbelievable,” Bumina-ang said.
“All the hardships that I’ve gone through, the sacrifices that I made, it’s all worth [it] now that I’ve reached this level and I got the contract. But it doesn’t end here.”
His opponent in his debut will be a complex one. Ten Pow enters ONE Championship’s MMA division for the first time after focusing on Muay Thai over the past few years.
The American striker’s only fight, and victory, in the all-encompassing sport of MMA was in 2021. Since then he has been focused on Muay Thai, dropping his debut in ONE Championship before rebounding with back-to-back wins.
So far, Ten Pow’s capabilities on the feet are undeniable, but what remains a mystery is how he’ll fare in other facets of the game.
That’s what Bumina-ang and his squad will look to exploit come fight night.
“Knowing that Carlo’s a finisher, they probably gave him someone who can match that level of striking,” his head coach Mark Sangiao said.
“I believe in Carlo’s striking, but I’m even more confident given that this is an MMA fight. I don’t want to count chickens before they hatch but I have full faith Carlo will win and finish Asa Ten Pow.”
For Bumina-ang, fans can expect the same type of fire, same type of hunger, and an ever-growing skill set when he debuts on the global stage.
“For all the fans who haven’t seen me yet, you can expect pure excitement each time I step in the ring. I want to ‘wow’ these people with my performances,” he said.
“I want to show them that I belong in the big league,” he said. “Here comes ‘The Bull.’”