Kingad-Akhmetov battle called off; Rene Catalan joins One: Big Bang

Rene Catalan has been inserted to One: Big Bang. One Championship (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The fans eagerly awaiting for the blockbuster showdown between Danny Kingad and Kairat Akhmetov may have to wait a little longer.

One Championship announced on Monday that the battle between the two flyweight stars has been postponed.

The mixed martial arts promotion revealed that one of Kingad's cornermen became a suspected COVID-19 case after getting a positive result in the mandatory pre-fight swab test.

This effectively means that Kingad and the Team Lakay delegation in Singapore are in isolation right now.

However, the number of Filipinos fighting at One: Big Bang will still be at two as Rene Catalan steps in.

The former One strawweight title challenger, currently ranked third in his division, gets a call-up and will see action on Friday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Catalan will take on Bokang Masunyane, an unbeaten South African fighter.

The 26-year-old Masunyane is sporting a 7-0 record but has yet to score a stoppage win since his impressive pro debut on Dec. 9, 2016, in which he submitted Mussadiq Alli Hassan via a kimura lock at EFC Worldwide 56.

Masunyane makes a return to the One Championship arena after nearly a year or after he scored a unanimous win against Ryuto Sawada at One: Mark of Greatness in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 6, 2019.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno