Martial arts has always been a game of inches and, unfortunately for Richard “Notorious” Corminal, he found out about that the hard way last Friday, 17 May.
He was inches away from claiming his first victory in ONE Championship, but ultimately fell short in the end, as he lost via first-round submission to Singapore-based Indian Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju in the curtain raiser of ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON.
The 37-year-old Filipino lightweight had the opportunity of a lifetime when he faked a knee, and then turned it into a superman punch.
That strike knocked down Raju, but he quickly adjusted, took his rival’s back, and forced him to tap out with a rear-naked choke.
Corminal, naturally, was frustrated with the loss, but he plans to use this setback to push himself forward.
“I’m at a loss because I thought it was over when I knocked him down, but I felt like I rushed it,” the Filipino explained.
“For me, I was still happy with my performance as I gave it my all in my match against Raju.
“The loss gave me an idea of the things that I need to work on more in the gym. Now, I’ll be working double time on defense on the ground. That’s where my focus should be.”
Nonetheless, Corminal, who trains out of Muayfit PJ in Malaysia, was grateful to Raju for ‘exposing’ his weaknesses.
He also credited the Singapore-based Indian for his toughness as “The Kerala Krusher” ate most of his punches and kept up the pressure for most of the match.
“This is still a huge help for my career. Raju exposed my weaknesses. I had a hard time stopping him as he kept on moving forward,” Corminal said.
“I am still optimistic about my career moving forward. I learned a lot and I will continue to train until I get my first win.”
Corminal may be playing the waiting game for a little while, but he promises to grow in his craft and display his improvements the next time he competes in The Home Of Martial Arts.
“Now, I’ll just be waiting for ONE’s call,” he said. “While waiting, expect me to never stop training. I’ll focus more and I have to be patient in my next bouts.”
