Saclag falls to 5-time champ Ataev in ONE Championship match

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Defeat is not the end of a journey, it is a milestone for learning – this is how iKalinga fighter Jean Claude Saclag and his coach, Mark Sangiao, view the former’s submission to his opponent in the One Friday Fights 109.

Saclag, a two-time One Championship winner, faced five-time champion Shazada Ataev in their much-awaited flyweight MMA clash on May 23 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Saclag was described to be in control of the game during the first round, however, Ataev got him via armbar submission in the second.

Just after the fight, Team Lakay Coach Sangiao uploaded a photo of him and Saclag with a caption describing how they wanted the victory but acknowledging that Ataev was the ‘better warrior’ during the night.

“After fight, win or not, we always review what happened in the cage. We take notes, we discuss what could have and could have not, we learn. Obviously, we wanted a victory tonight but Shazada was the better warrior,” he wrote.

Sangiao added that Saclag will bounce back and take more steps forward, taking with him the lesson he learned from his fight with Ataev in his bid to getting better.

“Sports is like life (and politics, if I may), we must accept losing so we can have a space for gaining something in the future. It’s all about right time,” the coach said.

The two bemedaled martial artists were supposed to face each other on March 28, but their fight had to be postponed due to the Myanmar earthquake that affected Thailand.