Ale Cali is easily one of the most exciting mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters this side of the Pacific.
A resident of Davao del Sur, the fighter known as “The Young Gun” is already making waves in the world of MMA in the Philippines since starting his professional bout in 2009.
With a record of four wins against one loss, the 21 year old Cali has shown some fighting skills not typically seen in most fighters, despite having trained in traditional boxing techniques. His unorthodox style of shaking hands and his footwork to distract his opponent has either been called showboating of a distinct tactical maneuver.
Either way, the Davao native is one exciting fighter to watch.
Cali’s start in the world of MMA started when he was still very young. He joined several local boxing competitions, particularly the Philippine National Youth Games Batang Pinoy Championships when he was still 12.
Eventually, he won several medals in various boxing competitions.
In 2008, with the death of a mentor, Cali came under the tutelage of Coach Bambi Posadas of the Beefit Python’s Pit where he trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He made his debut in the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) in 2009, losing to Salvador Larozza in the first round of the fight.
Cali trained further, improving his style and coming up with techniques that he could use to confuse his opponents. His first win was against Philip Parcon in August 2009 during his second URCC fight.
His next win was in the Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) 26 a year later, against Guam’s Josh Alvarez. It was during this fight that Cali showed his signature hand gestures and footwork. Ultimately, his boxing and Muay Thai training paid off and he took down Alvarez just three minutes into the fight. From here, Cali’s reputation only grew more intense.
His next bout was against American fighter Dylan Pablo also in 2011. Cali again demonstrated some of his moves that rattled Pablo. Despite this, Pablo kept his guard up preventing Cali from knocking him out. The fight lasted until the end with the judges giving a unanimous decision in favor of Cali. This was also the first time that Pablo lost.
Perhaps Cali’s most difficult bout was against veteran MMA fighter Jesse Taitano, a native of Guam who has seven wins under his belt. Known for his take down offense, Taitano proved to be more than a match for the young Cali, who had to constantly protect himself from Taitano’s grapples.
In the second round, Cali adjusted his technique and prevented Taitano from taking him down and continued to pound Taitano with punches to the body and head. The win came in the third round when the referee stopped Cali from further punching out a tired Taitano.
