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It has been more than eight years since ONE Championship put Alex Silva and Rene Catalan in the same cage. 'Little Rock' won that match with a kneebar submission in the first round, but he is sure the same trick won't work twice in their upcoming rematch in ONE: NextGen III.
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Both fighters have kept in touch with each other since battling in 2013. Silva has been monitoring Catalan's improvements since their first bout, and he feels that this is a very different fighter he is competing with.
"Both of us are completely different fighters now. You know, we fought a long time ago," said Silva in an interview with ONE Championship. "In my mind, we’re kind of like a white belt in MMA when we first fought but we improved a lot. Of course, he has improved a lot, his grappling, his wrestling, and his striking is outstanding but I improved a lot too. I can strike now. Even if he improved his grappling, I don’t think he’s up to par with my grappling. I have been definitely watching him for a long time."
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The victory was the first of a six-fight winning streak Silva has had in ONE Championship. Having once competed for the ONE Championship strawweight title, the Brazilian fighter hopes to get back to the top five at 39 years old.
Anything goes in their ONE Championship rematch
Alex Silva can remember dominating his initial match with Rene Catalan in ONE Championship. 'Little Rock' moved on and went on a winning streak while Rene Catalan had his own six-fight winning streak in the organization three years after their bout.
Both fighters had a good run and have aged well in MMA. At the tail ends of their careers, Silva knows that both have amassed significant knowledge of the sport, and it is hard to predict how the fight will go.
"Well, it’s hard to say because, in this game, you can’t avoid things," said Silva. "I can’t avoid striking with him and definitely, he can’t avoid grappling with me. It’s a fighting game so I can’t say it’s a mistake but it’s going to be a part of the game, you know. Definitely, you’re going to strike, definitely, you’re going to grapple."
