Saclag enters MMA finals, eyes PH’s first Asiad gold

Manila Times - Sep 21, 2026

JEAN Claude Saclag got himself and the Philippines a shot at a gold medal after advancing to the 20th Asian Games mixed martial arts men's traditional -65kg final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center in Japan on Monday. Saclag topped home bet Daisuke Murayama, 3-0, in the semifinals to secure at least a silver medal in MMA's debut in the Asiad. The Filipino bet faces Otabek Rajabov of Tajikistan in the final on Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. in Manila. "I'm used to competing in the finals but I'm more inspired because Asian Games is different," said Saclag in an interview with One Sports. "I need to hit him (Rajabov) while also maintaining my distance and keeping him from doing his takedowns because he's good at it. If we could do that, then we'll going to win," added Saclag, who also fights in ONE FC. The 31-year-old Saclag first defeated Saud Fawaz Almolhem, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. Saclag's teammate Carlos Alvarez settled for a bronze medal finish after falling to Yerkingali Burkutalin of Kazakhstan in the men's traditional -77kg semifinals, 0-3. At press time, the Philippines collected two medals through two days of competition with the first being a bronze also from the Philippine women's soft tennis...

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