Eddiva becomes 2nd Filipino to sign with UFC

Felipe Josiah Ramos

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Mark Eddiva will be just the second Filipino to debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) when he fights for the promotion next month

PINOY IN UFC. Mark Eddiva will be the second native Filipino to compete in the UFC. Photo by Laurente Fievet/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – Former national wushu star Mark Eddiva will be the second native Filipino to debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after Filipino fighter Dave “The Scarecrow” Galera made it to the world’s most premier mixed martial arts promotion last January.

The homegrown fighter out of the Team Lakay stable in Baguio City has signed up with the UFC and is set to fight unbeaten Chinese bantamweight fighter Jumabieke Tuerxun in March 1’s UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter: China Finale at the Cotai Arena in Venetian Hotel in Macau, China.

Eddiva, a former national sanshou wushu athlete and won the 2011 Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Indonesia, said he is very excited to step up in the UFC octagon although this will be his first fight after three years of rest.  

“I trained hard for three years despite the fact that this will be my first fight after three years,” Eddiva, 27, said in an interview. “I never thought I would earn a UFC contract as early as now. I talked with senior Lakay fighters and told me to grab this once in a life time  opportunity. I will give my best to show my new fighting skills.”

(READ: Filipino MMA in 2014 – a year in review)

Eddiva, who holds 5-0 record with three knockouts and two by submissions, is a cousin of One Fighting Championship lightweight fighter Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang.

Eddiva will be fighting for the first time since defeating Hong Kong’s Alex Lee via first round rear naked choke at Legend FC 2011.

Eddiva, under the guidance of head coach Mark Sangiao, is known for his strong striking ability and counter-punching, powerful kicks aside from his grappling skills and wrestling technique.

But Eddiva knows that UFC will be a different competition.

“My training is going very well and getting quality Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training to improve my submission skills. I’m confident I can do it and win for my country,” he said. “I have to rely on my advantages which is boxing, power and wide reach.”

For his part, Tuerxun, known as the “Wild Wolf,” a former Legends FC bantamweight champion, will fight Eddiva in 145-pound category.

 The unbeaten Chinese fighter Tuerxun, who has 14-0 win-loss record – three by knockouts and four by submissions – is expected to be a fan favorite during the match since it will be held in his country.

Eddiva will try to do what Galera failed to do in his UFC – win in hostile crowd.

Galera, who also hold an unbeaten record of five wins in the Universal Reality Combat Championship, lost unanimously to Singapore’s Royston Wee on January 4 in Singapore. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!