Filipino MMA Prospect Relishes Successful Debut In ONE Championship

Fritz Biagtan is still on cloud nine several weeks after turning in a debut performance to remember in front of a passionate crowd at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 27-year-old Filipino announced his arrival in style by authoring a face-plant knockout of Uzbek opponent Nurmukhammad Adamkhonov at ONE Friday Fights 5 this past February.

Biagtan admitted that he pinches himself from time to time to see whether everything truly did happen before his very eyes.

"I feel like I'm still dreaming, to be honest. I had many sleepless nights before this fight, visualizing the game plan and how I would execute it in the fight. I still can't believe it," he stated.

With the intent to leave an impression, Biagtan pushed the pace of the action over the course of nearly 15 minutes by unloading a torrent of hard blows that gave Adamkhonov difficulty to find his rhythm.

In the dying seconds of the third round, "Kid Tornado" finally located the opening to deliver the fight-ending shot—swinging a perfectly-placed left hook to Adamkhonov's jaw.

Upon the solid punch's impact, Adamkhonov instantly lost his reflexes and then plunged to the canvas face-first, prompting referee Mohamad Sulaiman to step in and save him from further punishment.

With the elation he felt from his rousing win, Biagtan developed a habit of constantly viewing the highlights of his maiden appearance under the ONE Championship banner.

"How I performed in my debut was really unexpected," he said. "When I saw the clip, I thought to myself, 'Was that me competing in there?'"

"I give credit to the great training partners and coaches who supported me throughout the journey. Our hard work really paid off."

If anything gives Biagtan a sense of fulfillment, it's the awareness that he now belongs at the elite level of mixed martial arts.

"It took a while for me to get here, but the most important thing was that I won and showed the world what I am capable of. At the same time, I proved that ONE did not make a mistake when they signed me," the former URCC strawweight champion expressed.

Biagtan has no plans to extend the celebration of his victory as he intends to get back to his usual grind as soon as possible.

A reliable source within the promotion told the International Business Times that Biagtan could possibly make his return to action as early as March 31, being part of the bout lineup for ONE Friday Fights 11 in Bangkok, Thailand.

"We don't know when the next fight will be, and my job is to make sure that I am always ready," Biagtan teased.