Jean Claude “The Dynamite” Saclag is willing to juggle two sports after his rousing debut under ONE Championship’s MMA umbrella.  

The multi-medaled Philippine athlete had himself a solid debut inside Lumpinee Stadium after finishing Lee Jun Young inside a round in their flyweight MMA bout at ONE Friday Fights 78 last Sept. 6. 

The Team Lakay star, a three-time SEA Games gold medalist and Wushu World Champion, won’t rest even after the win. In fact, he’s already back with the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas to prepare for the Asian Kickboxing Championship in Cambodia this October.  

But if he’s given the chance to compete in MMA before 2024 ends, he’ll gladly accept.  

“Actually, my next step would be the Asian Championship. I’m going back to Tagaytay to train with SKP, our foreign coaches and training partners are already there. I’d do everything for the country,” he said.  

“This doesn’t mean that I’m gonna drop MMA for the year though, I’m hoping that I’ll get another fight before the year ends.” 

The quick win for Saclag gave him a much-needed confidence boost in mixed martial arts after he dropped his first match against Ryo Okada in one of the promotion’s joint shows with Japanese organization Shooto in 2019.  

Making his professional debut back then, he was outclassed by Okada for three rounds, resulting in him doubting if he truly is built for the all-encompassing sport. 

“I’ve moved on from that first loss against Ryo Okada. Actually, that first loss gave me doubts. My confidence really took a hit. I was [wondering] if I’m really built for the international stage,” he said.  

“Looking at it, it’s a blessing in disguise. That loss pushed me hard to train. I saw my shortcomings. I saw the things that I needed to improve on, especially after seeing the level of my opponents on the international stage. Now I’m happy to see the results.” 

But after finishing the highly touted Korean in his ONE Friday Fights debut, he’s more confident now in the world of MMA – and he promises to be even better for his next fights.  

“Now those doubts are gone. Totally. When I was walking to the ring, I still had those thoughts. While I was confident with my striking, I knew it was an MMA fight so in a sense I can’t help but feel anxious when things go differently in the ring,” he said.  

“But after that result, it gave me the confidence to say “I’m ready.” Now, it’s something that I will be bringing moving forward.”