Harris Sarmiento eyes victory in One FC debut

MANILA, Philippines – For 30-year-old Filipino-American Harris Sarmiento, he hopes to have found a home in the One Fighting championship after mostly fighting out of Pacific Extreme Combat the past two years.

With a 36-25 record after 12 years of mixed martial arts combat, you can also say he’s at a crossroads in his career. Sarmiento, the Waipahu, Hawaii native has fought for over a dozen outfits, including Strikeforce. The 5’6” Sarmiento has seen it all, a poor start to his MMA career, win streaks, losing streaks, spectacular wins and freak losses. But he believes he still has a lot in the tank and a lot more to show.

Moving from PxC, Sarmiento said, “I just feel like its time to move on to a bigger and better company. One FC represents a new chapter in my career. I think One FC has a lot a good fighters and I'm looking forward to make my way up the rankings.”

On March 14, Sarmiento will be facing One FC’s new Brazilian sensation Herbert “The Blaze” Burns (2-0), who forced Filipino Edward Kelly to tap out with a rear-naked choke during One FC: Moment of Truth. The two will square off at One FC: War of Nations at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Despite being the more experienced fighter, Sarmiento knows he cannot take Burns lightly. After all, he is coming off a loss to Ryan Mulvihill in his hometown of Hawaii in Destiny MMA Proving Grounds 2 via unanimous decision. It was his second loss in his last three fights with the other coming to compatriot Mark Striegl in PxC 34.

Sarmiento related that he has been working hard in anticipation of his fight against Burns.

“Preparing for this fight, I actually started cutting weight early so I could adjust to that weight I am fighting at,” bared the fighter. “I also am working a lot on my jujitsu where I am concentrating a lot on getting back up to my feet. I also work with a lot of wrestlers to improve my ground game.”

“I thought that one of my biggest fights was winning my last fight in Manila because I dedicated it to my family back home in Ilocos,” added Sarmiento. “They had not seen me for so long and for me to show them what I could accomplish was unreal.”

“Of course, my next fight in One FC: War of Nations will probably be the biggest in my career as I will be competing in front of a lot people.”

Sarmiento hopes to not only put on a show in from of the Malaysian crowd but also send a statement. “I am sure One FC fans are going to love me because I like to put on exciting fights, I like to stand up and bang. I can also fight on the ground.”