By Dugout Philippines
NAGOYA—Carlos Alvarez delivered another medal for Team Philippines after scoring a knockout victory over Indonesia’s Ananda Wahyu Setyo in the men’s MMA Traditional -77kg quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday at the Inae Sports Center.
After a tight opening round, Alvarez knew he had to step up the pressure in the second.
“No’ng first round kasi medyo parang ganunan lang kami sa points eh. Medyo parang dikit. Tabla oh. Kaya no’ng second round sabi ko kailangan kong tapusin ’to para manalo,” Alvarez said
With a medal already secured, Alvarez admitted the pressure has eased slightly, but the ultimate target remains an Asian Games gold medal.
“At least nabawasan konti ’yong pressure kasi malaki pressure dito. At least ngayon may medal na tayong siguradong maiuuwi at ang goal namin talaga dito sa MMA is makuha ang gold medal,” he further said.
Alvarez also drew inspiration from fellow Filipino fighter Jean Claude Saclag, who earlier secured a bronze medal and advanced to the semifinals.
“Oo na-inspire din ako kay Jean kasi siya ’yong unang lumaban and siya din ’yong unang nanalo sa ’min. Sabi ko sa sarili ko ’di puwedeng matalo ko dito,” said Alvarez, who is teammates with Saclag with Team Lakay
Alvarez now has just one day to recover and prepare for his next challenge.
He will face Yerkingali Burkutalin of Kazakhstan in the semifinals on Monday at 9:40 a.m. Manila time, with a place in the gold medal match at stake.
“Rest lang kami mamaya ng mabuti at ayusin mga masasakit na parts ng katawan tapos ’yon. Laban na ulit,” Alvarez further said.
For Alvarez, representing the Philippines provides an added source of motivation as he continues his medal campaign.
“Ah sobrang motivation ’yan kasi Pilipinas na ’yong ni-represent namin dito eh. Hindi na team lang namin sa Baguio or something. Pilipinas na siya talaga. Napakagandang motivation at inspirasyon sa aming mga lumalaban dito,” he concluded.
