A full-blooded Filipino fighter based in Australia is all set to make his UFC debut Sunday in UFC Fight Night in Auckland, New Zealand.
Joshua Culibao was born in Sydney, Australia . His mother is from Boracay while his father is from Pampanga. Culibao has been doing mixed martial arts for ten years now and it all started as a means to lose some weight. He was pushing 100 kilograms back then now he fights at about 66 kilograms.
Culibao started his professional career in 2016 and he quickly gained a lot of momentum as he has five knockouts in his eight wins.
"I have all the main titles from Australia's MMA promotions," he said. "I'm the Hex Fight Series Featherweight Champion, the Superfight Featherweight Champion, and the Diamondback Fighting Featherweight Champion."
Now, he's about to get the biggest opportunity of his career in the preliminaries of the card that will be headlined by lightweights Paul Felder and Dan Hooker. The opportunity came from out of the blue but Culibao feels that he's ready for it.
"One of my training partners, a fellow Aussie, got injured in training in the lead-up to UFC Auckland," he recalled. "And when I was training one day, my phone rang. My coach never lets me answer it, but that day he did, and it was my manager. He told me I got the offer. I was ready and in good condition because I only had one fight in 2019. Normally I train six days a week, which includes striking, wrestling and grappling. On Sundays I usually run eight to 10 kilometers. The hardest part - being a Filipino - is the diet: no rice with any of my meals."
The 25-year-old fighter will be going up against Jalin Turner who has a record of eight wins against five losses.
"My opponent Jalin is a tough young talented fighter," he said. "My strength against him is mental - I have nothing to lose. I get to go out there and perform without the pressure. My win could go any way - submission, TKO, or even a decision."