URCC stages year's biggest MMA event

MANILA, Philippines - A mix of young and veteran fighters fight it out on April 28 when the Universal Reality Combat Championship stages what is tipped to be the biggest local mixed martial arts (MMA) event of the year – the Colt 45 URCC XXI – at SMX Convention Center.

Ten fights, including the super-fight between reigning URCC light heavyweight champion Nicholas Mann of Australia and middleweight king Froilan Sarenas, have been lined up for the event, backed by Red Bull and expected to draw banner crowd.

Both fighters are in tip-top shape and are out to knock each other out early in their scheduled 10-minute, two-round contest. 

Boasting of Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt, Sarenas hopes to topple his 6-foot rival with excellent striking and takedown skills. But Mann has reportedly added a new weapon to his fighting techniques.

“It’s going to be a close call, both fighters have their own distinct style that make them very dangerous,” said URCC president and founder Alvin Aguilar.

Mann is not only a third dan black belter in taekwondo but also an expert in Korean jiu jitsu, having trained at Hybrid Yaw Yan.

Dubbed as “Warpath”, the event also features the pinweight encounter between Roy Doliguez and Alvin Ramirez and the bantamweight clash between Jerson Estoro and Reysaldo Transmonte.

The seven other fights of the contest backed by Chris Sports, VRP Medical Center, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Red Box Karaoke and Anzahl Paint are expected to be as fierce as the featured events with titles at stake in their respective divisions.

Tickets for the fights, according to Aguilar, are now available at Ticketworld (891-9999) and SM Tickets (470-2222). First fight starts at 7 p.m. Media partners are Solar Sports, Pinoy Extreme Channel and Rogue Magazine.

Other fight cards pit Dennis Salazar vs Adam Cacay; Charles de Tomas vs Isaac Tuling; Mark Dialogo vs Fred Lim, Mario Sismundo vs Michael del Rubio; Jonathan Sumogat vs Mark Joseph Abrillo; Andrew Benibe vs Alcer Lozada and Will Chope vs Angelino Manguray.