Bactol Moves Forward After Falling Short In Debut

Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Tue, 07 May 2019 15:15:53 +0000

Rockie Bactol may have fallen short in his first ONE Championship appearance, but he is far from discouraged.

The Filipino lost to Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa via third-round TKO at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS last November, which derailed all the hype surrounding his debut.

Understanding that there is still a lot to be learned, he is taking the loss in stride.

“I learned a lot of things when I lost to Akihiro. These things gave me added motivation to become a better mixed martial artist and to succeed in this sport,” Bactol said.

“I’ve been training very hard to improve every aspect of my game, especially my cardio. I’m a very positive person, and I know that I can come back to my winning ways.”

Bactol, an MFC Bantamweight Champion, has never doubted his abilities — even after seemingly fading away late against Fujisawa.

After a huge start to the match, conditioning played a big factor. The 20-year-old’s inexperience showed as he gassed out, which his Japanese rival gladly took advantage of.

Though it was a tough defeat, Bactol is not sweating it.

“Not everyone is destined to be successful, but you always have the option to become [successful] if you want to. It’s all about your determination,” he explained.

“I have a great career ahead of me. The loss will make me a better competitor moving forward.”

For him to have a successful comeback, Bactol must now work on his mentality — particularly when the battle intensifies inside the Circle.

With a ‘strong mind,’ he is confident he will impress in his next outing.

“I learned that I must have a strong mind in the cage no matter what happens,” he said.

“If I know that I’m losing and I feel exhausted, I must have that strong mind to keep on going like it’s my last fight.”

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