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FOX Sports Asia meets exclusively with the winner of the third series ONE Warrior and talks about his life as an award winning fighter in Southeast Asia.
A life of hard work has recently paid off to one of the best MMA fighters in Southeast Asia. Mark "Tyson" Abelardo received a ONE Championship contract after two wins in the ONE Warrior series.
However, the New Zealander of Filipino origin is not new to the sport. In fact, the former PXC champion, 27 years old, has an incredible record of 17-5 as a pro MMA and is ranked as the best bantamweight fighter in Southeast Asia on Tapology, after having fought in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, China and Thailand – where he is now training at the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya.
Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series sees the former UFC Middleweight Champion and ONE Championship Vice President traveling across Asia in search of the best talents in the local gyms. Those who attract his attention are invited to participate in pro MMA fights during the ONE Warrior series finale, with the best of the best deals offered with ONE Championship.
The final of the third series took place recently in Singapore and saw Mark Abelardo face Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg of Mongolia. Abelardo's dominant performance, with some vicious strikes on the ground and pound, forced his opponent to retire when he was unable to get up for the second round. Abelardo was the only fighter to win a contract that day.
ONE Vice President Rich Franklin said, "Mark Abelardo got a contract because of the war he faced during his last event and his ability to overcome adversity when his second match. Very well deserved.
He will then seek to make his way through the bantamweight ONE Championship and win the long-time champion, Bibiano Fernandes.
Abelardo's previous victory in the second season of the ONE Warrior series earned him a decisive victory in a merciless performance against a prominent Iranian, Ali Motamed.
FOX Sports Asia asks the rising star to talk about life as an award-winning fighter in Southeast Asia.
"Living in Southeast Asia as an MMA fighter is not new to me," Mark told me, "I have been training abroad, especially in Thailand, over the past four years. for my opportunity to go on the big leagues.
"My main goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to go to ONE Championship. I was 3-0 since the beginning of the year and I thought I was the best unsigned rooster in Southeast Asia. Having achieved my goal now is incredible. "
"The fight was not easy," said Mark. "With every fight, I never look beyond my opponents, especially this fight with the contract at stake. He was an Olympic level boxer with knockout power and over 10 MMA pro fights. "
Abelardo is now training at the famed Fairtex Gym in Pattaya, Thailand, alongside fellow ONE Warrior fellow and new Fair Play Kick-Boxing ONE Super Series Champion, Stamp Fairtex.
"Training at Fairtex has been a solid experience for me this year. It's a huge installation with a high-level Muay Thai, black belts that train BJJ and a lot of talent in the MMA team. A big thank you to my Fairtex Training Center for everything they do for me, all coaches, coaching partners and staff … and all my family and friends who continue to help me. support.
"As for the future, I will fight with anyone who comes before us. By fighting in the highest organization in Asia, I want to show that I can stay with the best fighters. "
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