The Bicolano’s Pain turned Fame

In the world of martial arts, it is not the destination that matters but the journey experienced.
Reaching the pinnacle of these disciplines is no easy task. Time and time again, there will be inevitable
challenges that will arise. These challenges that are associated with a multitude of factors will test the
very foundation of the character of the aspiring student.
Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales is no stranger to that principle. Despite being born in Matacon,
Albay, Gonzales was left under the care of his grandmother after his parents separated. Together with
his grandmother and siblings, they moved to Manila in hopes for a better living. Ramon, although
struggling financially, was just like any other teenager back then – studying and hanging out with his
friends. But little did he know that his bland life would turn out to an extraordinary one.
It was in 2001 when he met his martial arts teacher that kindled his passion for the discipline. He
was a quick learner and started training Kyokushin Karate (a style of stand-up, full-contact karate
[Wikipedia]) in 2002. It was at this time that he also decided to enter and attend in the Philippine
College of Criminology in hopes of becoming a police officer. Unfortunately, his wife got pregnant. This
forced him to give up his study and focus on providing for his family and improving his craft in martial
arts.
Despite these events, Gonzales’ career in Kyokushin Karate turned out to be successful after
becoming the National Kyokushin Karate champion in 2007 and 2009. However, these achievements did
not lead him to settling to a simple life but rather inspired him to enrich his skills by entering the mixed
martial arts scene.
His first professional MMA debut was in 2009 under a local Filipino promotion where he
knocked out Jemerey Quinonero in just only 43 seconds. But after his outstanding fight, his sensei
wanted him to focus solely on Kyokushin Karate. For nearly five and a half years of participating only in
karate competitions, he decided to himself that he was very much well-equipped for bigger
competitions. He wanted to know how well he had become as a fighter. His desire landed him to a
contract with ONE Championship in 2015. He then used the nickname “The Bicolano” to pay homage to
his roots.
The Bicolano martial artist who was previously a three-time National Kyokushin Karate Black
Belt Champion made his promotional debut under the biggest MMA promotion in Asia on March 13,
2015 in ONE FC 25: Age of Champions against Cambodian Kun Khmer specialist Chan Rothana. Although
he was not nearly as successful compared his first fight, he learned a lot from that loss and was eager to
redeem himself.
His third professional fight was with Muay Thai practitioner turned boxing world champion,
Yodsanan Sityodtong on March 11, 2017. The fate was still against Gonzales when he was submitted by
Sityodtong in the second round. But he still remained positive after being beaten twice consecutively.
And finally in September of the same year, he made a huge statement in MMA after submitting
Deligerihu Liu to an arm triangle choke.
This winning momentum of Gonzales continued on October 6, 2018 where he won against Dodi
Mardian via submission. Early this year, on April 12th, he once again won via submission in the first
round against Akihiro Fujisawa. This win streak of the Bicolano served as the fruits of his dedication,
hard work, and perseverance towards his art.
Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales currently has a record of 4 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws. This may
not seem much but the story behind it is the reason why it is significant. With his 3 consecutive wins, not
only did he prove that he is a force to be reckoned with but also gave life to the phrase, “Never settle for
less.”