Julaton makes MMA debut against Egyptian kickboxer

CEBU, Philippines -  Former world boxing champion Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton will finally showcase her skills in front of her countrymen, this time not inside the ring but on the octagon.

The Filipino-American Julaton has ditched her boxing gloves and signed up with Asia's largest Mixed Martial Arts outfit One Fighting Championship. She is scheduled to debut in One FC: Rise of Heroes on May 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena against Egyptian kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber.

Julaton is the first Filipino-American woman to capture the WBO and IBA Super Bantamweight titles.

A black-belter in taekwondo and bok fu, Julaton is hoping to duplicate her ring success in the octagon. She is as excited as the Filipino fight fans on her debut on Philippine soil.

"Aya Saber is an experienced MMA warrior and champion in kickboxing. I know she will bring her very best on May 2nd. I'm training for my ONE FC homecoming fight in Manila harder than ever before and what gives me strength through my ups and downs are the hearts of my kababayans," Julaton said.

Julaton has a work cut out for her with Saber firing the warning shots this early.

“I am excited and honored to be the first female mixed martial artist from Egypt to compete in ONE FC. I can’t wait to get into the cage and beat Ana and make my fight team and family proud. Unlike Ana, I am not new to MMA. Be careful Ana, you are entering my world. I’m coming," Saber said.

The Julaton-Saber bout completes the ‘Rise of Heroes’ card that will also showcase Filipino fighters Eduard Folayang and Eugene Toquero.

Tickets for One FC: Rise of Heroes are now on sale at SM Tickets (www.smtickets.com). Ticket categories begin with the full Red Carpet and cageside experience for VIPs at P6,360 followed by Patron P3,180, Lower Box P1,280, Upper Box P640 and General Admission P220.— Philstar.com (FREEMAN)