Five golds, five silvers.
Team Lakay once again announced they are still the top mixed martial arts team in the Philippines after bagging 10 medals during the Philippine MMA National Games spearheaded by the Nasyonal Mixed Martial Arts Pederasyon ng Pilipinas (NMMAPP) at the Tagaytay Combat Sports Complex from August 22 to 24.
The event served as a national tryout with successful candidates forming the National MMA Training Pool under NMMAPP for the 2026 edition of the Asian Games in Japan.
Bannered by ONE Championship fighters Carlo Von Bumina-ang (Seniors 71 kg), Carlos Alvarez (Seniors 77kg), and Jean Claude Saclag (Seniors 65 Kg), the trio stamped their class by topping their respective rivals en route to winning the gold medal.
Mary Grace Carluen meanwhile topped the Seniors Women -54kg division while Kizan Rabang also bagged the gold in the Youth -60kg division.
Coming home with the silver are Estrada Donga-as (Seniors -60kg), Kurt Jio Sumilao (Seniors -71kg),
Ezra Saclag (Seniors -57kg), Jerlyn Kingad (Seniors Women -54kg), and Ralph Cervantes (Youth -75kg).
The try out is part of the Philippine Olympic Committee’s preparation for the biennial meet following the announcement from the Olympic Council of Asia recently confirming MMA’s official inclusion in the 2026 Games, featuring six weight divisions — four for men (60kg, 65kg, 71kg, and 77kg) and two for women (54kg and 60kg).
MMA in the upcoming Asian Games will be contested under two distinct categories: traditional and modern.
In the traditional division, athletes are required to wear MMA Gis along with standard protective equipment, including a mouthguard, gloves weighing at least 4 ounces, a groin guard for men, and shin pads. The use of the Gi is permitted for both throwing techniques and submission holds.
For the modern division, competitors follow the same protective guidelines but instead wear fight shorts. Male athletes will compete in sleeveless rash guards, while female athletes are mandated to wear rash guards with sleeves. NLMonitor
