Ana Julaton eager to prove she’s more than just a boxer
When news came out that Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton, a three-time world boxing champion, was signed by ONE FC, the first question was about her ability to transition into the sport of mixed martial arts. Because she was affiliated with boxing, people doubted her ability to fight against the best in Asian MMA without even seeing her inside the cage.
On May 2, Julaton will step into the ring aiming to convince her doubters that’s she’s not in MMA for the money and that she’s not just trying this out. She’s a fighter and she’ll fight whomever, wherever.
“What people don’t know about me is that I’ve been training in tae kwon do, kenpo karate, and jiu jitsu before I started training in boxing,” Julaton said during her open workout at the World Muay Thai Team USA Gym in Makati.
Prior to getting her first world title shot against, Kelsey Jeffries back in 2009, Julaton was already considering a career in MMA. Back then, she only had a 4-1-1 record in boxing while the veteran Jeffries had 41 victories in 51 fights.
The Hurricane won the vacant IBA super bantamweight title and it altered her path in the fight game. As she was now a world boxing champion, her MMA training took a back seat. However, according to Julaton, her training is more than enough to hang with the best female fighters in Asia.
Angelo Reyes held the mitts for Julaton in the open workout. The trainer has been with Julaton for almost two decades. He started as her kenpo karate coach and is now also helping with her muay thai. With Julaton having no one to spar with, Reyes also helps her out with her jiu jitsu.
During the open workout, Julaton wowed the media member who packed the gym with her striking. On the ground, Julaton practiced her side chokes and even tried out a triangle choke on her much bigger sparring partner.
“People have questioned Ana’s ground game without doing any kind of research,” Reyes said. “She’s very good in the ground and I won’t be surprised if she ends up winning by submission.”
Reyes added that what convinced Julaton to try out MMA was because the rules employed in ONE FC.
“Ana saw the soccer kicks, she saw the 12 to 6 elbows, and the knees on a grounded opponent,” Reyes said. “After that she was convinced she wanted to fight here because that’s what real fighting looks like. In the UFC, you’re not allowed to kick an opponent who’s on the ground. That’s not real fighting for Ana.”
For her MMA debut, Julaton will still pay a tribute to boxing by wearing a Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (NVBHOF) patch on her shorts. The NVBOF is a non-profit organization and they honor boxers, like Julaton, who have significantly contributed to the state of Nevada. They donate all their proceeds toward Nevada-based boxing-related causes and charities.
Julaton holds a record of 13 wins against four losses and a draw in her boxing career. At 33 years of age, she wants to transition into a two-sport champion and she will start this bid against Egyptian kickboxing champ Aya Saeid Saber at the Mall of Asia Arena.
She’s excited to have her MMA debut but even more excited to fight for the first time in the Philippines.
“When I talked to ONE FC CEO Victor Cui, he understood where I was coming from. I just wanted to fight as often as I could so have gave me a contract and that allowed me to pursue my boxing career,” Julaton said. “When he asked if I wanted to fight in Manila, I said yes in a heartbeat.”
