Batolbatol seeks to rejuvenate career in ONE Indonesia card

MANILA, Philippines — Rocky Batolbatol was a promising talent from Bacolod City.

But that tag was from three years ago. The luster of his billing as a top-notch prospect slowly faded when he was dealt with a series of setbacks.

The 31-year-old suffered a second-round submission loss at the hands of Martin Nguyen in 2014. He encountered almost the same fate against Anthony Engelen in February 2016. Victory remained to be elusive when he bowed down to Christian Lee a month later.

But Batolbatol will have a chance to turn it all around later this month when he takes on homegrown fighter Sunoto in ONE Championship’s inaugural card in Surabaya, Indonesia, on July 29.

“I am back,” the Negros native said.  "Ever since my last fight, I did not stop training. I focused on my wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for this fight. But of course, I did not neglect my striking—my bread-and-butter for years.”

Batolbatol is former professional boxer who has transitioned smoothly into the sport of MMA, winning his initial five bouts in spectacular fashion.

Constantly utilizing well-placed combinations in search of spectacular knockouts, Batolbatol will be looking for a stoppage against a gritty opponent like Sunoto in their clash slated at the GOR Kertajaya Arena in the capital of East Java.

“I want a knockout. It has been a longtime since the last time that I won by way of knockout. I am going in that cage with a statement to make. I can truly say that I am in the best shape of my career,” he said.

Batolbatol added that he finds himself in a must-win situation against his foe who seeks to make it two in a row in 2017 following a demolition of Cambodian stalwart Chan Heng last January.

“I need this win. I can’t lose forever. It feels like I’ve been losing forever already. But this is my chance to prove that there is a light at the end of tunnel. No one stays on the losing side,” he closed.