Robin Catalan Submits Adrian Mattheis With Slick Heel Hook

Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan predicted he would leave Guangzhou, China, with a submission victory, and he fulfilled his own prophecy.

On Saturday, 7 July, the Filipino defeated Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis in the opening contest of ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS. He submitted the rising Indonesian star via a stunning heel hook in the second round.

Catalan utilized his superior grappling from the start of this strawweight encounter.

After throwing a few kicks to find his range, “The Ilonggo” swooped in on the legs of Mattheis as soon as the Indonesian athlete threw his first jab. He latched his hands around Mattheis’ hips, before hoisting him into the air and bringing him down to the canvas.

From there, the Filipino competitor showcased a dominant ground game that kept his adversary on the defensive throughout the rest of the first stanza.

Unfortunately for “Papua Badboy,” he was going to suffer through more of the same as the second round got underway.

Upon the bell, Catalan immediately caught a kick from Mattheis and brought him back down to the mat yet again. He constantly worked to improve his position, until he saw his Indonesian rival leave an opening with one of his legs left undefended.

“The Ilonggo” quickly grabbed onto the leg, sat back on the mat, wrapped up a heel hook, and put immense torque on the knee. A split second later, Mattheis felt the pain and was forced to tap at 2:10 of round two.

This marks the first stoppage victory for Catalan in ONE Championship.

With the victory, the Filipino strawweight moves his professional record to 8-3, and now finds himself on a two-bout win streak.