THE first ever Filipino MMA talent to ever make it to the UFC makes his Octagon debut this weekend in undercard of UFC Fight Night 34 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
Dave Galera of Baguio City’s dreaded Team Lakay takes on another UFC newcomer, hometown fighter Royston Wee.
Galera, the current URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship) bantamweight champion, is unbeaten with a record of 5-0.
His last win was a third round technical knockout over current URCC featherweight
titleholder Red Romeo.
Galera, a bantamweight at 5’11”, is surrounded by world-class MMA talents, sharing the gym with the likes of Honorio Banario, Eduard Folayang, Geje Eustaquio, Rey Docyogen and Kevin Belingon. This however, is Galera’s first MMA fight overseas.
Wee, the first Sigaporean to also fight in the UFC, has fought both his bouts in the Malaysian MMA circuit. His wins are against unheralded Malaysian fighters and Galera should be his toughest test. The 27-year-old Wee of Impact MMA Singapore is also undefeated with a 2-0 slate.
Although there are a few Filipinos who have already fought in the UFC, the biggest stage of MMA, Galera is the first ever homegrown Filipino MMA talent to ever enter this stage. Some of the Filipinos who have fought in the UFC are Brandon Vera, Mark Muñoz, Eddie Yagin and Philippe Nover, who are all Filipino-Americans.