Opportunity arises for Roel Rosauro in ONE: Revolution

Roel Rosauro

With the stacked featherweight division at ONE Championship, one has to take advantage of every opportunity to be able to move up the ranks.

One such standout will try to seize that chance and run with it.

Roel Rosauro is looking forward for that exact opportunity when he faces James Yang in the lead card of ONE: Revolution, which will take place on September 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Muay Thai specialist from Cebu says, "I expect it to be a bloody fight and may the best man win."

The man called "Akiyama" lost his first two fights in ONE Championship, suffering a first round submission defeat to Li Kai Wen in February 2018 and a unanimous decision to Sunoto three months later.

In spite of the back-to-back defeats, Roel continued to hone his craft, earning a gold medal at the 2018 Philippine International Jiujitsu Open, followed by a silver medal at the Philippine National Games. Those efforts eventually bore fruit with his first win in ONE Championship in January 2020, earning a unanimous decision victory over Yohan Mulia Legowo.

It was a match that fight fans were able to witness what Rosauro is capable of, using strikes, body shots, and low kicks to impress the judges.

Unfortunately for him, the COVID-19 pandemic halted the momentum the victory would have provided. The introduction of quarantine protocols limited movement and restricted activities, including training, since gyms were forced to be closed. It was something that Roel readily acknowledged. "My training has been on and off because of the pandemic. Some days, the gym would be open, but most of the time, it's closed. Sometimes, I'm forced to train at my home, which is also a difficult task on its own."

Amidst those struggles, Rosauro has done all what he can do to prepare against Yang, who is making his professional debut after going unbeaten in five amateur fights. Among the things the Cebuano fine-tuned is his striking, which came in handy in his last fight, as well as his grappling.

When asked about his upcoming opponent, who trains with Demetrious Johnson at AMC Pankration, he shares, "I know he's a good fighter, so I have to really be at my best. But I'm not worried at all because I know all I need is to give it my best."

Rosauro knows that a victory would allow him to move closer to the top contenders in the division, which includes the likes of former two-division champion Martin Nguyen, Christian Lee, and Garry Tonon, and led by its current champion Thanh Le.