Newest ONE athlete Islay Bomogao drew inspiration from former Team Lakay teammates Eduard Folayang and Gina Iniong.
It’s been a long time coming for Muay Thai sensation Islay Bomogao as she finally reached her dream of getting into Singapore promotion ONE Championship, with her debut slated next week at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium for ONE Friday Fights 86.
As early as 2017, the No. 1 ranked 45-kg Muay Thai fighter in the world was yearning for a spot in the ONE roster. At the time, she was teammates with multiple athletes already with the promotion in Team Lakay.
Seeing the likes of former world champion Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio, and famed female fighter Gina Iniong train and succeed in their respective ONE careers, Bomogao wanted to do the same.
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“'Yung pagpasok ko dito sa [ONE Championship], super, super long term po. Nagsimula po ako mangarap na makapasok sa ONE nung nag-enroll ako sa Team Lakay way back 2016,” Bomogao told One Sports.
“Doon po, na-inspire ako na mangarap na mag-join ng ONE dahil sa seniors ko noon, si Eduard Falayang, lalong-lalo na si Ate Gina Iniong na isa sa mga pinaka-sikat na female na MMA fighters natin.”
But Bomogao was left wanting for more opportunities which MMA had not presented to her by then. Instead, she shifted part of her attention to training for Muay Thai, where she was eventually scouted by the national team.
By 2021, she was at a crossroads of whether to continue training both MMA and Muay Thai, or focus on one or the other.
Already getting older and not seeing any immediate opportunities for herself in MMA, Islay decided to zero in on Muay Thai where she eventually flourished in the past few years.
“Nari-realize ko na, hala, parang hindi na po ako makakapasok ng ONE Championship, kasi di ba nga 'yung pinaka-mababa pong timbang sa ONE Championship was atomweight? So medyo, ayun, na-frustrate po ako, na-discourage po ako. Pero, buti naman sa kabila nun, sa aking Muay Thai naman, ang dami ko pong mga amateur competitions na sinalihan,” she said.
“So, noong 2021, nag-decide naman po ako na mag-leave muna, mag-take [ng] leave muna from MMA sa Team Lakay at mag-focus muna sa Muay Thai. Kasi dun po madami mga competition,” she added.
The choice paid dividends for Bomogao, as she eventually won a World Championship in the 45kg Elite Division back in 2023. Then in 2024, she was named World No. 1 by the International Federation of Muaythai Associations in her division just this year.
[ALSO READ: Rise of Islay Bomogao: From curiosity to Muay Thai glory]
Because of how she flourished in her Muay Thai career, ONE Championship finally took notice. And though they have yet to establish a division for her weight, her potential and prospect was too good to pass up.
“Hanggang sa, siguro po napansin ng ONE Championship through mga social media, 'yung mga posts ng news, ng mga pages, doon po siguro nila napansin na meron palang striker na ganito-ganyan from the Philippines. Hanggang sa, ayun po, nag-decide sila na i-contact ako,” said Bomogao, who was fighting under Team Bagsik.
“Siyempre, sobrang-sobrang nasaya po kasi looking back, akala ko na 'yung pangarap ko na 'to, hindi talaga maaabot. Pero ayun, nandito na po ako sa Muay Thai. Although hindi naman sa MMA like I've imagined before, I'm still happy kasi Muay Thai pa rin po," she continued.
[ALSO READ: Slay! Grit, pride, and ambition fuel Islay Bomogao's road to ONE Championship]
Bomogao will be joined by compatriots Carlos Alvarez and Fritz Biagtan in the same card to banner the Philippines in the iconic Thai stadium. There, she faces Fuu in a 100-pound catchweight fight.