ANA Julaton insisted she was aggressive enough in her unanimous-decision loss to Irina Mazepa in ONE: Spirit of Champions on Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Filipina boxing champion refused to stick to her strength, opting to grapple instead with her Russian foe and take the fight to the ground.
Julaton revealed it was really what she had planned.
“I would’ve made it more of a toe-to-toe match…but my game plan was to move forward, close the gap, go from a pummeling match to taking her down, and secure the win,” she said. “But she did a good job neutralizing some of it.”
Julaton insisted she wasn’t hesitant.
“Overall, I felt like I initiated a lot of the action,” she said. “I did most of the things I wanted to do. I had her back against the cage.”
“It’s still a work in progress,” said the former two-sport star who decided to focus on MMA. “But it’s nice to use some of the new techniques that I learned.”
Asked if her 32-year-old foe was too quick, Julaton, who’s three years older, shook her head.
“Not necessarily. (She was) quick in terms of like moving away.”
Julaton said she’s open for a rematch.
“I’m a fighter,” she said.
For now, Julaton just wants to rest.
“I’m hoping to have a margarita. It’s been a long year.”
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