Two Filipino fighters are all set for mixed martial action in ONE: Fists of Fury III at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, March 19.
Team Lakay's women's strawweight bet Jenelyn Olsim will face No. 5 contender Maira Mazar of Brazil while Fil-Indonesian Aziz Calim will lock horns with Roshan Mainam of India in the flyweight bout.
Olsim, a product of Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series, faces tall order in her ONE Championship debut against the Brazilian veteran, who holds a 7-3 record.
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Olsim, a muay thai silver medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, is the lone Team Lakay fighter in the strawweight division while her teammate Gina Iniong competes in the atomweight.
"She (Mazar) is definitely a good fighter. Her biggest strength is her experience, but I’m not worried about that," said Olsim, who has a 3-2 record. "I’m coming into this fight prepared. I’ll use my weapons to beat her. For now, all I can say is that she’s a good fighter, and we’ll see what happens when we face each other in the Circle."
READ: Olsim unfazed with big test vs No. 5 Brazilian foe
The Team Lakay stalwart last saw action in August 2019 where she suffered a first-round submission defeat at the hands of Australian fighter Caitlin McEwen in ONE Warrior Series 7.
Calim, for his part, stepped up as a replacement for Mainam's initial foe Abro Fernandes, his teammate who had visa issues days before going to Singapore.
The Fil-Indonesia karate champion, who was born to a Filipino father and Indonesian mother, will be relying on his heavy striking and improved wrestling after serving as a training partner for Fernandes.
"Mostly, I pushed myself hard on the striking and discussed more on the strategy, while also doing some drills on my ground defense to anticipate Roshan’s movements," Calim told ONE Championship.
Calim, who holds a 5-4 record, has lost twice in the last three bouts since his ONE Championship debut in November 2018.
Mainam, on the other hand, rides on a two-match win streak with a 5-2 slate.