Fighting Alex Silva "was a really good experience" for Rene Catalan, hyped for rematch against BJJ champ

Rene Catalan is prepared to fight former ONE strawweight world champion Alex ‘Little Rock’ Silva once again, more than eight years after the pair first crossed paths in ONE Championship.

They first met at ONE: Kings and Champions in 2013, and Catalan was forced to tap to an armbar with just 26 seconds remaining in the first round. The odds were definitely stacked against him as it was his MMA debut and he was going up against a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.

Rene Catalan, however, did fight brilliantly for as long as the bout lasted. There were obvious holes in his grappling abilities. The Catalan Fighting System founder has since worked on filling those gaps and he can’t wait to showcase it against Silva when they meet again in a highly-anticipated rematch.

Rene Catalan and Alex Silva lock horns at ONE Championship: NextGen III, a previously-recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium which broadcasts via tape-delay on Friday, November 26.

Speaking on his debut loss to Silva, Rene Catalan said:

“It was my first time in MMA. Even though I have been a world champion in wushu for many times, but in the world of MMA, it was my first bout, and I fought with a BJJ world champion. It’s a big lesson for me to keep moving, to move forward, and train harder. When I fought against Alex Silva it was a really good experience for me. It made me more eager to come back, to win more fights in ONE Championship.”

Though Rene Catalan had to wait another two fights before collecting his first win in ONE Championship, the improvements to his game were obvious. He was more composed on the ground and displayed strong improvements in the wrestling and grappling positions.

The Filipino then strung together six straight victories, even earning a submission win over Indonesian fighter Adrian Mattheis.

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“I know he has a weakness” - Rene Catalan on Alex Silva

Rene Catalan’s winning run eventually earned him a shot at Joshua Pacio, the reigning strawweight division king, in November 2019. Despite losing to his Filipino countryman and going down to another top strawweight contender in Bokang Masunyane, Rene Catalan refuses to give up on his career.

At 42 years of age, he still believes he has a chance to collect the biggest prize in MMA, and that his journey begins anew against Silva.

Speaking about facing Silva a second time, Rene Catalan had this to say:

“His biggest strength is that he has good wrestling. His wrestling has improved. Especially his BJJ. That's why we practice how to defend against his wrestling and his BJJ as well. Every one of us has a weakness. I know he had good training and good preparation, but I know there's a weakness in him. I will try to use that weakness. I can’t say his weakness, but I know he has a weakness. I can’t say [how I’d like to finish it] because I have a game plan. But I know Alex is well prepared, and I know Alex is very strong, but it will be a good fight.”

A former titleholder, Silva has been on the slide as of late. The Brazilian star has dropped five of his last eight bouts. However, Rene Catalan says he isn’t taking his foe lightly. The MMA veteran promises fans that this rematch will be a memorable encounter.