‘Sonic Boom’ returns to One Championship

Roman “Sonic Boom” Alvarez tries to keep his hold on Mark Abelardo during their bout in Pacific Xtreme Combat 50 at the University of Guam Fieldhouse in Mangilao. (Pacifix Xtreme Combat Photo)

Trench Tech and Spike 22’s Roman “Sonic Boom” Alvarez will fight in One Championship anew, as he takes on a Japanese opponent next month.

Alvarez debuted in One Championship: Spirit of a Warrior held last June 29 at the Thuwunna Youth Training Center Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar and knocked out Brazil’s Leandro Issa early in the first round before losing the bout. Issa forced Alvarez to submission at the 1:26 mark of the opening round of their bantamweight duel using an arm-triangle choke.

Despite the sorry loss, Alvarez was invited again to participate in another event organized by the Singapore-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing promotion company. He will be competing in One Championship: Beyond the Horizon on Sept. 8 at the Baoshan Sports Center in Shanghai, China and will be up against Japan’s Daichi Takenaka.

Alvarez vowed to be a better and wiser fighter in his second appearance in One Championship.

“I am glad I was able to get another fight so quick. I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of doing in my last fight. Belief and confidence in yourself are the strongest things you could ever possess. I’m here for a reason and the job will get done,” Alvarez said in his fight announcement last Wednesday.

In a separate interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday, Alvarez said he will not rush things in his bout against Takenaka.

“I will just focus on the task at hand… be patient and let the finish happen. The W will come!” said Alvarez, who is busy training at Spike 22 in Guam.

Alvarez will have a tough opponent in Takenaka, who is unbeaten in 11 matches. The 28-year-old had four wins each via submission and decision and two off knockouts and got only one draw. The Japanese’s latest victory was against Korean Daw Hwan Kim via disqualification (illegal spike) in One Championship: Quest for Gold also held in Myanmar in February this year. Takenaka seems to be fan of rear-naked choke, as he used this technique in his four wins via submission.

Though his foe has a better record, Alvarez’s mark (6-2) can’t be taken lightly. He won his first five fights, including three in Pacific Xtreme Combat events, while his last triumph before bowing to Issa was against Guam’s Robin Eclavea in Rites of Passage 22: Rampage last year. Incidentally, Alvarez also employed a rear-naked choke on Eclavea to get the victory at the 2:15 mark of Round 2.

Besides the Alvarez-Takenaka bout, nine other fights are lined up in One Championship: Beyond the Horizon, including the main event that features female fighters Xiong Jin Nan of China and Samara Santos of Brazil.