Has Philippine MMA reached a Golden Age?

The Philippines has produced world-class athletes in a variety of sports. However, it has been only recently when mixed martial arts (MMA) started to gain ground in the country. And when talking about Philippine MMA, Team Lakay would certainly be one of the first names to come to mind.

Team Lakay is a group of Filipino competitors based in La Trinidad, Benguet. Over the years, its fighters have gained the respect and admiration of local and international MMA aficionados. The team rose to prominence in the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), a local MMA promotion in the Philippines founded in 2002 by the first Filipino Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Alvin Aguilar. During the competition, six of its members won titles in different weight classes.

Filipino MMA champs

The Philippines is gradually developing a reputation when it comes to MMA. Many of Team Lakay’s fighters have made an incredible mark in the major organizations and promotions they’ve participated in.

In July 2012, Crisanto Pitpitunge secured the bantamweight championship in Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC), an MMA juggernaut in the Asia-Pacific region, when he knocked out Justin “The Shocker” Cruz with one punch in the first round.

Stephen Loman also contributed to Team Lakay’s prestige in November 2017 when he defeated Gurdarshan Mangat with a first-round technical knockout, winning the maiden bantamweight title in the Middle East-based MMA company Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF).

The Philippines also holds the unprecedented record for most title wins in the seven-year history of ONE Championship, an international MMA promotion based in Asia. With all the achievements by Filipino MMA fighters, better things can only be expected for the sport here in the country.