Costa Rican fighter Mariano Jones is dedicating his upcoming fight to the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) community as he goes for back-to-back wins in the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) on April 25 at Xylo at the Palace in Bonifacio Global City.
Jones, however, will have his hands full against Filipino Arvin “Sharpshooter” Chan as they clash for the No. 1 welterweight contender, which is a co-main event of URCC 84 Rage.
“I hope this fight will show all the LGBTQ members not to be afraid to be themselves and go pursue their dreams in whatever field or profession they choose without the fear of being judged,” said Jones during the fight’s news conference held over the weekend.
“Sexuality and performance have nothing to do with each other. 100% I dedicated this fight to them.”
Jones, 26, also known as the “Hitman,” admitted he’s been in a relationship with a transgender and he doesn’t care what others may say about him. But what important is to pursue a great career in mixed martial arts field.
The fight is supported by the Philippines Nuebe Gaming and the Vietnamese Highlands Coffee.
Jones debuted in MMA impressively after scoring a first round technical knockout win over Gester Maglaque in December last year.
In the other main event fight, jiu-jitsu black belters Eros Baluyot (1-0) faces Elouie Federic Sevilla (6-3) in a flyweight MMA bout while lone women strawweight bout between Jomary Torres and undefeated Mariane Mariano is also worth watching.
In the preliminary bouts, Rex De Lara meets John Carranza in the featherweight class, while Rhino Casipe squares off with Kervin Lampacan in the flyweight division, and Marvin Dela Cruz battles Denzel Dimaguila in a flyweight bout.
In amateur bouts, Jerald Galangue will slug it out with Chuckie Ruis at strawweight and Jan Ilarde collides against AJ Castellano in the heavyweight category.
