Breaking Barriers | FilAM MMA Legends and Rising stars

Written by Jennifer Redondo

Filipinos have a heavy presence in the martial arts space. The most popular Filipino martial art forms being Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali. During the ancient times, these were systems developed out of self-preservation and need to protect the Philippine islands from invaders. In the last few decades, Filipino martial arts started to gain more mainstream traction in Hollywood, which exposed the teaching of masters like Dan Inosanto, who is credited for training actors including Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee, Chuck Norris, and Denzel Washington.

Martial arts has been a huge part of our culture, and it continues to be a big part of who we are. These influences have continued to inspire the next generation to keep up with the practice, and even branching out to other martial art forms such as Muay Thai, boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, wrestling and more. Below is a list of Filipino-Americans that have made mixed martial arts (MMA) a big part of their lives, even post-retirement. It’s more than a hobby and workout. It’s a way of life.

This list is not exhaustive, but here are a few Fil-Ams that have made a mark or are on the come up in the mixed martial arts scene:

1. Brandon “The Truth” Vera 

Brandon Vera is a Filipino and Italian retired mixed martial artist. He was raised alongside nine siblings by his Filipino stepmother in Virginia. He excelled in wrestling, which earned him a four-year athletic scholarship to Old Dominion University. Vera ended up dropping out to enlist in the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force, he trained at the Olympic Center. Unfortunately, his military wrestling career was short-lived due to a torn ligament in his right elbow. Although he was medically discharged from the military in 1999, he continued to train in wrestling and was introduced to mixed martial arts in 2002, while training under Lloyd Irvin.

Vera made his professional MMA debut in July 2002. In 2003, Vera moved to San Diego to work as a trainer at City Boxing, where he ended up becoming part owner. In 2005, he became the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion. Two years later, Vera made his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut against Fabiano Scherner, which he won via knockout (KO).

Vera professionally competed from 2002 - 2022 in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions of ONE Championships, WEC, and UFC. While in the UFC, he had a 15-7-0 record. He fought MMA legends including Jon Jones, Frank Mir, Randy Couture, Shogun Rua, and Fabricio Werdum. All of these accolades make him the most complete heavyweight MMA fighter in the world.

In 2014, Vera signed with Singapore-based promotion ONE Fighting Championship. He won his first fight with a first-round KO against Igor Subora. A year later he became the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Paul Cheng with a 26-second KO. In 2016, Vera relocated to the Philippines full time to help grow the sport, and has been working on opening a branch of Alliance MMA in Manila. In 2022, after losing to Amir Aliakbari, Vera announced his retirement during the post-fight interview. Upon retiring, Vera signed a 10-movie deal as an actor in the Philippines. He has starred in a few Filipino films including Day Zero and BuyBust starring Anne Curtis. These days, it seems that he’s been spending more time in Guam with his wife and son, Atreyu.

2. Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz

Mark Muñoz is a retired professional mixed martial artist from Vallejo, California. At the age of 13 he began wrestling and played football. Due to an injury, he stuck to wrestling and eventually went on to be a two-time State Champion, an Asics First Team All-American, 1995 National High School Champion, 1996 NHSCA National High School Champion, and also won a silver medal for the USA Junior National Team. He continued to wrestle on the collegiate level at Oklahoma State University where he compiled 121 wins, was a two-time All-American, and won the NCAA National Championship in 2001. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Health Science, he served as the wrestling assistant coach at his alma mater for two years, leading them to an NCAA Championship in 2003 before coaching at the University of California, Davis.

Muñoz transitioned into martial arts and made his WEC debut in 2008 where he defeated Chuck Grigsby via KO in the first round. In 2009, he made his UFC debut, suffering his first loss against Matt Hamill. He holds a pro MMA record of 14-6. Throughout his six years in the UFC, he shared the octagon with fighters such as Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman, and Gegard Mousasi. He defeated notables such as Chris Leben, Demian Maia, and C.B. Dolloway. After defeating Luke Barnatt by unanimous decision, Muñoz retired from the octagon. Muñoz was known for being the nicest guy in the UFC, but the middleweight contender went by the moniker “The Filipino Wrecking Machine”.

After retiring, Muñoz ran the Reign Training Center, which he sold to dedicate more time to his children and as a wrestling coach. Mark’s son, Trey, is also a wrestler at Oregon State, with two PAC-12 individual championships and the 2023 PAC-12 team championship. Muñoz also made his lead acting role debut in 2020 in Lumpia with a Vengeance, which is a film he also co-produced.

3. Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler 

Robbie Lawler is an English, Samoan, African, and Filipino fighter from San Diego, California. He ended up relocating to Iowa with his father who served in the Marines. Lawler began MMA training at the age of eight, starting with taekwondo and karate. In high school, he received All-State honors in wrestling and All-Conference in football. After graduating from high school, he joined Miletich Fighting Systems.

Lawler made his professional MMA debut in 2001, winning his first four career fights by TKO/KO. He fought in the welterweight division of the UFC from 2002 - 2004, and returned in 2013. He competed at middleweight between 2004-2012, and has fought for numerous MMA promotions including PRIDE, IFL, EliteXC, and Strikeforce. His pro MMA record is 29-16. His greatest win was in 2014 when he defeated Johny Hendriks by split decision, making him the first and only UFC welterweight champion. He also holds notable victories over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Nick Diaz.

Lawler is the only fighter to have won three consecutive “Fight of the Year” awards from Sherdog and MMA Fighting from 2014 - 2016. He is slated to retire from the UFC following his fight against welterweight, Niko Price, at UFC 290 on July 8th. He is slated to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame just days before his retirement.

4. Jackie Buntan 

Jackielou Buntan is a Filipina-American Muay Thai kickboxer, currently competing in the strawweight division of ONE Championship. Growing up she was a tomboy – always skateboarding, biking, or playing soccer. She was first introduced to Muay Thai by her brother-in-law when she was just 11 years old. That’s how she ended up at her local gym, Boxing Works, where she still trains with coach Bryan Popejoy and Janet “JT” Todd. Buntan started competing at just 13 years old, and by the time she hit 21, she decided to drop out of school to go full throttle in pursuing her professional fighting career.

In 2018, she had the opportunity to represent the United States at the IFMA Pan American Championship where she brought home a win. Buntan made her ONE Championship debut in 2021, where she won her fight against Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak by unanimous decision. She is a one-time ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship title challenger. Unfortunately, her championship title came to a halt with her only loss to Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell. Since then, Buntan has had back to back wins – she beat Amber Kitchen last December and knocked out Diandra Martin in May. Buntan’s pro MMA record is 5-1.

Buntan wants to be a two-sport world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. She’s continuing to train and hopes that her next fight will be for a belt. In the process, she’s making time to have fun – she was recently honored by the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team and also shot her first magazine cover with Numero Netherlands.

If you’re wondering if her parents are supportive of her decision to drop out of school? At first they were absolutely against it, especially because all of her sisters graduated from college and had successful careers. As the baby of the family, they were concerned about her future. However, after seeing all of her hard work, passion, and success in her fight career, they are ecstatic and supportive of her decision. They are her number one supporters, win or lose!

5. Nelita “Sensei Bae” Villezon 

Nelita Villezon is an actress and martial artist based out of Los Angeles, California. She was named after her grandmother who immigrated from the Philippines, along with her father, Erwin. Nelita was highly influenced by her father, who studied martial arts under Dan Inosanto.

Nelita started training with her father at a very young age, including Eskrima, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, and Northern Shaolin. Her dad taught her martial arts not only so she could defend herself, but also as a means to provide for herself if she ever needed a job. Martial arts and her speciality in weapons have provided her with the opportunity to work as a celebrity trainer, manage and train at top gyms around the world, acting in national commercials and shows, and selling martial arts tools.

During the pandemic she shared more of her martial arts skills online, bringing more attention and light to Kali and Arnis. She’s hoping to grow the community through her Nelita V app where she teaches martial arts and overall well-being.

6. Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin” Nover 

Phillipe Nover is a retired mixed martial artist born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where he trained with Sifu Ralph Mitchell at Universal Defense Systems which covers Filipino Arnis, Yaw-Yan, Muay Thai, Savate, kickboxing, Judo, Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do. He started training in martial arts at the age of nine. In his teens, a friend told him about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he was hooked after his first session. Nover holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. Normally, Nover fights as a welterweight, but during the show, there were only open slots for lightweights and light-heavyweights. His pro MMA record is 11-8. Nover made his debut in the UFC in 2008 against Efrain Escudero, who he lost to by decision in the third round. Nover took 19 months off to allow his body to heal. He then signed with Bellator Fighting Championships in 2012. His debut was against Marcin Held, who he lost to by split decision. Nover won his two following Bellator fights before returning to the UFC in 2015.

After five years away from the organization, he returned to fight Yui Chul Nam in a featherweight fight where he won via split decision. In 2017, Nover announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. During his fighting career, Nover left nursing for a time, but later returned to balance both careers simultaneously. Nover has a bachelors and masters degree from the SUNY Downstate College of Nursing. He currently works as a cardiac nurse and a Clinical Adjunct Professor at New York University. He self-proclaimed that he is the “toughest registered nurse on the planet”.

7. Jordan “Bomaye” Williams 

Jordan Williams is of Filipino, German, and Nigerian descent. His Filipino roots come from his grandfather who served in the United States Navy. Williams started fighting after his full-ride scholarship to the University of California, Davis fell through. In 2010, he attended and wrestled at Sierra College. At the age of 19, he was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, in the middle of his wrestling season. Because of this condition, he continues to adhere to a strict diet and workout regimen.

He spent some time competing in Dana White’s Contender Series before signing with the UFC. Williams competed in the welterweight division of the UFC. In 2020, he made his UFC debut at UFC 268. He lost a series of matches and was released by the UFC in 2022. His pro MMA record is 9-6. Based on his latest Instagram posts, it’s unclear if Williams is ready to throw in the towel. Will he be making a comeback to the cage in the near future? In his feed, he also features pictures of his cute puppy, Bayani (“hero” in Tagalog).

8. Eddie “Silky Smooth” Abasolo 

Eddie Abasolo grew up in Vallejo, California. Since he was a kid, he was very active in karate, baseball, and basketball. The apple doesn’t fall from the tree - his father was a respected fighter and a black belt in Kajukenbo, a Hawaiian mixed martial art, combining elements of Taekwondo, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Kenpo, karate and boxing. It was a lot to live up to the Abasolo name, but the multiple-time Muay Thai champion was up for the challenge and has been making a name for himself.

Abasolo wrestled at Hogan High School, and it wasn’t until after he graduated that he tried out boxing. In 2008, he discovered Muay Thai and first trained at Soaring Eagles Taekwondo. He was invited to Combat Sports Academy where he trained under Kevin Ross and John Hurney. Like many, the COVID-19 lockdowns led him to pivot into another direction. He ended up joining forces with John Hurney and Tim Figgens to start up The Resistance Fitness Center. Abasolo also teaches, trains, and fights out of The Resistance in Pleasanton, California.

The Muay Thai striker has competed internationally, such as the WBC, Lion Fights, and Bellator. He also collected multiple world titles as a professional and amateur, including the WBC Muay Thai Nao Khanom title. In November 2022, welterweight, Abasolo made his ONE championship debut in Singapore, where he lost to Liam Nolan by unanimous decision. He won his second match, knocking out Niclas Larsen in the second round. Abasolo is currently training for his next fight on June 23rd against Sitthichai in Thailand.

9. Jacob Noah Macalolooy 

Jacob Noah Macalolooy is a martial artist and professional boxer from Union City, California. Macalolooy’s family has a deep history in martial arts and fighting. His grandfather and his grandfather’s brother were both boxers. His dad also started training in Kajukenbo at a young age. In 1997, Macalolooy’s dad started a martial arts school out of his grandparents’ garage. Eventually his dad opened up a dojo and that’s where his martial arts journey began at the age of five. The Dragons Den is a school led by Macalolooy and his father, Jeff.

At the Den, he was exposed to several martial arts including Eskrima, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, and boxing, but his foundation is in Kajukenbo and wrestling. He is a black belt in Kajukenbo. Throughout his youth, he competed in karate, kickboxing, and wrestling tournaments. After high school, he was recruited to join Columbia University’s Division I wrestling team. Upon graduation, he moved to San Diego to train at The Arena Combat Sports Gym to compete in amateur boxing. With over 20 years of experience in martial arts and combat sports, he did not start boxing until 2019. After only 15 fights, he was able to climb to #5 in the U.S. as an amateur. Macalolooy is gearing up for his next fight on June 24th against Eridanni Leon.

10. Jeremiah “The Kid” Labiano  

Jeremiah Labiano is a Hayward, California native. Labiano fell into mixed martial arts during his junior year in high school. His best friend and barber, Cedric, told him that he was going to start training at Crispim BJJ. In high school, Cedric would cut his hair then afterwards practice moves he learned in Jiu Jitsu. Growing up in a single parent household, Labiano didn’t have the funds for extracurricular activities other than what was free – so he stuck to football and track and field offered at school. In 2008, he signed up for his first Jiu Jitsu class and fell in love. Six years later, he earned his black belt under Alexander Crispim. 

After high school, Labiano continued to train in Jiu Jitsu while doing his prerequisites for nursing. Unfortunately, his grades weren’t good enough to get into the program so he ended up switching majors. He graduated with a degree in Health Science from Cal State East Bay. Even after graduating from college, he continued to train in Jiu Jitsu. At that time, Crispim was still fighting professionally for Strikeforce. At the age of 21 years old, Crispim asked Labiano if he wanted to fight professionally. It wasn’t until he didn’t get the job offer after the last round of interviews with Stanford Hospital, that pushed him to move forward with pursuing fighting professionally. Labiano trains, teaches, and fights out of Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton and Wild Boyz MMA in San Ramon, California, which he also co-owns with Alexander Crispim. Labiano is the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor and MMA Program Director. 

Labiano made his professional MMA debut in 2011, where “Da Kidd” defeated Derrick Easterling via KO. After his debut win, Labiano racked up two more wins taking his pro record to 3-0. In 2012, Labiano suffered his first defeat as a pro, however he made his way back with a four fight winning streak. In 2015, Labiano signed with Bellator MMA where he defeated Alvin Cacdac. 

Labiano’s pro MMA record is 13-11, in which eight finishes are by way of KO, technical KO and submission. Jeremiah holds three belts: Rebel Fighter and West Coast Fighting Championship at bantam weight and Conquer Fighting at featherweight. He has fought notables such as James Gallagher, Tyson Nam, Vince Murdock, and Ricky Simon. In his interview with Kollective Hustle, Labiano believes that you just have to do it, keep pushing, and “stay filthy”.   

There are plenty of options for those who want to pursue a career in the martial arts industry. It’s been interesting to see how it’s evolved and what direction people take. As you can see, not one journey is the same. Though, what they all have in common is discipline, dedication to pursue their passion, a strong motivation to win, and most of all… no fear! They are not afraid to fail or lose. They don’t sleep on their losses, instead, they get back up and try again. No pain, no gain! Some of the guys have upcoming fights, so let’s be sure to cheer them on in their quest to victory. 

---

Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

---