Reigning YawYan Fighting Championships (YFC) featherweight champion Renan “Flash” Noblefranca and fellow YawYan ArDigma ace fighter Jordan Balcita will test their mettle against foreign opponents when they travel to the US on Nov. 5 to compete in a series of kick boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments there.
YawYan ArDigma Martial Arts Federation Inc. chief Master Benigno “Ekin” Caniga Jr. said he will be bringing two of his best fighters in the US not only to compete against bigger and tougher opponents but also to introduce the authentic deadly Filipino martial arts to the country that is known for sports like baseball, American football and basketball.
According to Caniga Jr., he and his son, Johnlery Caniga, also an MMA instructor, will be conducting a series of seminars in the US-based YawYan ArDigma members, particularly the YawYan ArDigma gyms based in San Jose, Valejo, Sacramento and Los Angeles, California.
Noblefranca and Balcita’s campaign in the US will serve as a historic feat for YawYan ArDigma as they will be the first Cebu-based fighters who will be competing against the Americans.
“The venue and their opponents were not yet named but the schedule of events and fights are already set and they are going to compete once a month until January,” Caniga Jr. said.
Noblefranca will be bringing with him his impressive record of 64-1 (win-loss) while Balcita will boast of his undefeated record of 39-0 woth 33 KOs.
“I’ve been training hard because this kind of opportunity is very rare so I’ll do my best to win not just for myself but for the country,” Noblefranca said.
Noblefranca recently retained his YFC featherweight title via a technical knockout win over Marjun “Muma Warrior” Porriento of Mindanao last August in Cebu.
For Caniga Jr., if Noblefranca and Balcita will win in the US, it will surely boost YawYan ArDigma’s reputation.
“It will be a dream come true not just for me but for the entire YawYan ArDigma because it will be showcasing authentic YawYan ArDigma traditional system fighters who are both lethal inside the ring. I”m sure that it will open a lot of opportunities for these fighters,” Caniga Jr. said.