Biagtan father-and-son tandem works together to take home URCC title

MANILA, Philippines – Fritz Biagtan is among the new breed of homegrown talents that gives an insightful glimpse of how bright the future of the local mixed martial arts (MMA) scene in the Philippines is.

At a tender age of 20, Fritz has demonstrated that he exhibits the gallant spirit of a true Filipino warrior, surpassing two tough tests in the amateur ranks with flying colors before making a strident splash into the professional arena. 

The 5-foot-6 native of Dasmariñas, Cavite received an opportunity of making his professional debut on foreign soil, defeating Singaporean stalwart Garie Tang via unanimous decision under the Singapore Fighting Championship banner in December 2014. 

In his second pro outing, Fritz routed compatriot Joco Mabute by third-round stoppage at Spartacus MMA’s inaugural event in October 2015. 

Fritz seems to be following the footsteps of his father Raysaldo Biagtan, who was a successful and world-rated kickboxer back in the mid-90’s.

As a result, Fritz’s initial run as a prizefighter was noticed by Alvin Aguilar’s Universal Reality Combat Championship, which was established in 2002 to be the first MMA promotion in the country. 

URCC offered Fritz a spot on the “Rebellion” fight card, which will be held at Marriott Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Pasay City on April 23. 

It was a regular 3-round pinweight contest for Fritz at first as he is slated to take on fellow young gun Eddie Estrada, but URCC raised the stakes higher by putting the division’s vacant championship on the line.

As Fritz faces a much stiffer task in his young career, he did not hesitate to call on his father to prepare him for his upcoming title tilt.

“I really feel good especially now that he’s coaching me well during training. I make him my inspiration in every workout that I do. If not for him, I wouldn’t be here in URCC,” Fritz told Rappler.

Before working as a trainer in Malaysia, Raysaldo is a well-respected mentor of young fighters in the Philippines, honing the skills of Pinoy standouts such as Rolando Gabriel Dy and Cris Aplicador.

The older Biagtan decided to have Fritz in Malaysia to monitor his child’s training closely and sees it as a pivotal phase in their father-and-son relationship. 

“It is really important for me as a father to Fritz to train him because I know all about him since I trained him at his early age. I know his weakness and strength. His heart and my heart are mutual because we can easily comprehend each other without conflict in training,” Raysaldo stated. 

Raysaldo did not mince words regarding his brood’s potential, heralding Fritz’s passion-driven desire in and out of the cage. 

“Without bragging, Fritz will go far. I think the true core of his potential is being passionate for the sport. He loves combat sport. Combat sports is his life,” he shared. 

Meanwhile, Fritz perceives his chance to take home URCC’s silver-plated strap as not merely a championship fight of his own, but more importantly the fulfillment of his father’s longtime dream to become an MMA champion.

“Having a belt has been my father’s dream ever since, especially in MMA. But considering that he’s getting older now and he cannot anymore keep up that well in his fights, I’ll be fulfilling the dream for him. I hope and I pray that God will give us this victory,” Fritz said. 

Fritz believes that a target will be placed on his back if he walks out with the URCC pinweight belt around his waist.

“If I win this fight, effort in training work will be doubled because I’ll need to defend my title and I won’t let it slip from my hands. I’ll make sure that my future opponents work hard to take the title away from me,” Fritz stated. 

If based on the old proverb that “the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree,” it can then be supposed that this applies to a myriad of aspects of daily life. 

But throughout the course of sports history, this maxim has not held water for the most part. 

When it comes to the professional trade of fists, many sons have tried to fill the boxing boots of their famous dads, but only a particular few have been able to come close, which included Tracy Harris Patterson, Cory Spinks and Guty Espadas Jr. 

There are only a handful of prosperous father-and-son duos in MMA as well, but the Biagtans are bent on defying odds. 

Fritz and Raysaldo are out to prove that the family that trains together wins championship belts. 

“Fritz is really hungry to win more fights. He is hot and hyper to become one of the best fighter in Asia and the Philippines in particular. He will guarantee everyone a very exciting fight,” Raysaldo ended. – Rappler.com