MANILA, Philippines – Phillip Delarmino reached a new milestone as he emerged victorious with a world championship gold on Saturday, December 11 in the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) world championships in Phuket, Thailand.

Delarmino defeated Russian Aleksandr Abramov, 30-27, to rule the 57kg senior male category. The Filipino won the favor of the judges, scoring 10-9 in all three rounds.

In the semifinals, Delarmino narrowly edged out Kazakhstan’s Almaz Sarsembekov, 29-28, to secure a berth in the title match.

It was a glorious run for the 31-year-old muay fighter as he immediately topped the world competition two years after winning the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold in Manila.

Delarmino, the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games silver medalist, was the flag bearer of the Philippines in the 2019 Arafura Games held in Darwin, Australia. – Rappler.com