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By: Nissi Icasiano
Although Joshua Culibao is 4,435 kilometers from his parents’ homeland, the prominent Filipino-Australian has always kept an eye out for the burgeoning mixed martial arts (MMA) scene in the Philippines.
Culibao is one of the most recent top-line prospects to emerge from the burgeoning Australia-New Zealand MMA circuit. He joins a wide selection of world champions and contenders including Robert Whittaker, Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya, Martin Nguyen, Dan Hooker, Ev Ting, Jessica-Rose Clark, and Megan Anderson.
In fact, the system from which it came has played a fundamental role in raising it to the international level. But the 26-year-old still holds the Filipino cage warriors in high regard.
Culibao admires Filipino-American legends Brandon “The truth” Vera and Mark Muñoz, who both campaigned in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
“Growing up watching Brandon Vera and Mark Muñoz, those guys were a huge inspiration to me. For some reason, in my mind, I never thought that we Filipinos could be successful in a sport like this. “ he said in an exclusive interview on The Hit List, hosted by SMART Sports.
Vera joined the UFC in October 2005 and had 16 games under the promotion banner. He shared the stage with the likes of Tim Sylvia, Fabrício Werdum, Randy Couture, Jon Jones and Maurício “Shogun” Rua.
His most memorable victory inside the Octagon came when he stopped former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the first round with a series of hard knee blows.
“The Truth” then surprisingly parted ways with the UFC in 2014 to join the ONE Championship. There, he knocked out Paul Cheng in 26 seconds with a kick to the head to be crowned the organization’s inaugural heavyweight champion.
Meanwhile, Muñoz served a six-year tenure in the UFC, with notable victories over Kendall Grove, CB Dollaway, Demian Maia, Chris Leben and Tim Boetsch.
Muñoz, known by the nickname “The Philippine Wrecking Machine” due to his NCAA Division I fighting pedigree, called it a career on a triumphant note in May 2015. His last bout saw him dominate the young weight. English middleweight Luke Barnatt over the course of three rounds to salvage a clear unanimous decision.
In 2016, both men made the UFC’s Top 200 Fighters of All Time. Vera landed at No. 189, while Muñoz was ranked at No. 179 on the list.
“In a way they changed their minds. In a way they said, ‘Look, we’re Filipinos too, but we can still compete at the highest level.’ That kind of inspiration. Those two guys, Brandon Vera and Mark Muñoz, are great inspirations. “
In addition to Vera and Muñoz, Culibao also revealed that he is very familiar with Team Lakay, the country’s main MMA stable based in the mountains of La Trinidad, Benguet.
“They (the Lakay team) are also a great inspiration to me. I may not have been raised, born and raised in the Philippines, but I have Filipino blood running through me. Seeing the way they fight, the way they act, it inspires me to see. “ He mentioned.
Under the tutelage of head coach Mark Sangiao, the Lakay team produced fan-favorite world champions like Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Geje Eustaquio, Joshua Pacio, Honorio Banario, Stephen Loman and Crisanto Pitpitunge.
Culibao will don the colors of the Philippines and Australia when he returns to action this Sunday, October 4. He is scheduled to fight Canadian featherweight Charles Jourdain on the UFC Fight Island 4 undercard in Abu Dhabi.
He may be Australian by citizenship, but he intends to do his part to further promote the Philippines’ position in sport.
“I am going to try to make a difference and try to put the Filipinos on the map. This is not just about me, this is bigger than me. I’m trying to do what Brandon Vera and Mark Muñoz did for me. They inspired me and showed that Filipinos can compete at the highest level. “ Culibao declared.
“I want to do the same and show that Filipinos can compete at the highest level.”
