Rosauro eager to ‘show what Cebuanos are made of’

In this February 2017 photo, Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro (left) competes in the Cebu Extreme Fight League at the Cebu Coliseum.
CDN file

ONE FC DEBUT

Cebuano rising Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro of the Yaw-Yan ArDigma Cebu expects a tough fight against Chinese Li Kai Wen in his first international MMA fight and his debut in the One Championship fight card tonight at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

The 28-year-old Rosauro, the ace fighter of Yaw-Yan ArDigma Cebu of Master Benigno “Ekin” Caniga Jr., arrived in Yangon, Myanmar, last Tuesday to attend the pre-fight activities.

“I am preparing myself for a very difficult fight, but I am ready for whatever he brings inside the cage,” said Rosauro. “I want to give a good showing in my first fight. I want to show them what Cebuanos really made of.”

Rosauro is also dedicating his fight to the late Grandmaster Napoleon Fernandez, the founder of Yaw-Yan martial art who passed last January 28.

“Grandmaster Nap paved the way for all of us. Now that I am part of ONE, I will honor represent Yaw-Yan with pride,” Rosauro said.

The pride of Camotes Island, Cebu has a record of five victories and two losses. He faces a more experienced Li, who has a 6-4 record.

The Chinese warrior has already fought some of the top contenders in the featherweight division including defending champion Martin Nguyen of Australia, to whom he lost to via technical knockout (TKO) two years ago.

The main event features Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang vs Brazilian Alexandre Machado for the heavyweight title.