Ranillo, Montilla vow to break PH losing skid at PXC 46

MANILA, Philippines – Glen Ranillo and Ernesto Montilla Jr. vowed to break the losing streak of Filipino fighters in title tilts as both men are booked to compete in the double headliner of Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) 46 on Saturday, November 15.

Ranillo is slated to lock horns with Chuji Kato for the vacant PXC lightweight belt, while Montilla faces Alvin Cacdac for the available flyweight strap.

Before Ranillo and Montilla had their respective championship cracks, two Pinoy combatants had already received world title opportunities on an international stage this year, but they failed to hoist the Philippine flag aloft.

Geje Eustaquio bowed down to Adriano Moraes by second-round submission for the inaugural ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) flyweight crown in September, while Rolando Gabriel Dy yielded to Kyle Aguon via controversial split decision for the vacant PXC bantamweight title this past October.

Under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner, Fil-Am stalwart Chris Cariaso succumbed to the second-round Kimura lock of flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 178 two months ago.

The same situation was seen in non-title bouts as no Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor has walked away with the victory since August.

Ana Julaton tasted the first setback in her MMA career against Ann Osman, Vaughn Donayre dropped back-to-back bouts inside the ONE FC cage, and Edward Kelly was knocked out by Ev Ting with a head kick.

In addition, Rocky Batolbatol and Cary Bullos lost to foreign opposition on the undercard of ONE FC: Battle of Lions last November 7.

Although his compatriots suffered a series of defeats a few months ago, Montilla shared that he feels no pressure in the build-up of his fight.

“I’m confident because I worked so hard in training camp to get the win and the belt,” Montilla said in Filipino during the PXC 46 press conference on Wednesday, November 12 at the TV5 media center in Mandaluyong City.

Meanwhile, Ranillo emphasized that he is not bothered with the Philippines’ losing trend in MMA, asserting that he always sets his sights on the goal.

“It’s sad to see some of my friends lost, but this is my chance right now. I won’t let it slip away. It doesn’t distract me at all because I make sure that my focus is on bringing home the belt,” Ranillo tells Rappler.

Ranillo (4-2) has won three outings in a row and earned the shot at the lightweight belt in March when he stopped Reno Remigio by first-round technical knockout at PXC 43.

The 30-year-old Team Insider representative has long expressed his desire to compete for the 155-pound weight class’ top prize, but a tough test awaits him as he takes on Kato.

Kato (5-1-1), a 5-foot-10 standout in the Japanese promotion Shooto, is unbeaten inside PXC’s Terror Dome, thumping the likes of Egon Racz and Tyrone Jones in first two assignments.

Harris Sarmiento was the previous PXC lightweight titleholder, but he relinquished his status as the division’s champion in December of last year when he transferred to ONE FC.

On the other hand, Montilla (4-2) inserted his name into the flyweight title lottery by submitting former champion Ale Cali with an armbar submission in the first round at March’s PXC 43.

The man standing in his attempt to occupy the 125-pound throne is Cacdac (14-10), who has never fought since submitting Trevin Jones with a second-round rear-naked choke at PXC 40 in October 2013.

Cacdac is an eight-year MMA veteran and has 24 professional matches, including sporadic appearances in organizations such as World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce.

The PXC flyweight belt was previously held by Louis Smolka, but he vacated it in late 2013 when he inked an exclusive contract with the UFC.

PXC 46 takes place at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, Metro Manila. – Rappler.com