Roy “The Dominator” Doliguez has been a top contender in both the mixed martial arts and boxing worlds, yet he still feels like he has something to prove. On Friday Night, 10 February, he plans to show the entire world that he still belongs at the top of the strawweight division.

The former ONE Strawweight World Title challenger will fight BJJ World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS, which broadcasts live from the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Every fighter has their own fighting style and we fight for what we believe in,” the 35-year-old Sarangani, Philippines, native says. “I know he is a good ground fighter because of his BJJ record, and as his opponent this time, I have to prepare for it as well.”

Though there are many ways in which they share common ground, the combat sports of boxing and mixed martial arts also offer vast differences. When Roy Doliguez was growing up in the Philippines, the sport of MMA did not even exist. The long and storied history of ‘the sweet science’ is rife within popular culture around the globe, and only in the past few years has MMA begun to penetrate the mainstream.

It is no surprise that young boys with a penchant for combat mostly turned to pugilism in droves, especially those with a dream of using it to escape the often difficult lives they were born into. There are other routes to take in martial arts, but the prizefighting ring of boxing was the one with the glitz, glamour, and paydays.

However, it is not easy, and it does not always start with the attraction to the bright lights, as Doliguez explains. 

“If I think now about how I started, I can say that it was just for fun at first. I knew it was a reason I had just to escape school.”

Influenced by his older brother, boxing provided an opportunity to compete and gain a valuable extracurricular activity — an activity he could use as a bargaining chip to get out of mundane lessons — but it was not about a career path. That came much later, as “The Dominator” moved into the professional ranks, following an amateur career which saw him take some regional accolades.

“When I started to have consecutive wins fighting as professional boxer,” he begins, “Those times that I saw and heard my name in different pages and places, I had already taken boxing as a career. But I knew I really had to take care and make the most of it.”

This is a familiar tale. There was no rich family propping up his training, paying his bills and putting food on his table. He was working long hours at a factory not only to fend for himself, but to try and send money back home, after moving to Manila from Sarangani for more opportunities.

Doliguez had to make a life-changing decision. It was a bold and potentially dangerous move to give up the safety net of a paycheck to go full-time in the fight game, but he went for it. He moved into the gym to keep his costs down, all while chasing his dream.

“It was very difficult to move into the gym and stay away from my family because I am a mama’s boy,” he admits. “I stayed in the gym for a long time. Train, work, fight. It became a cycle. Of course, earning money was never easy.”

Look no further than Manny Pacquiao, the ultimate example of how it is possible to go from poverty to extreme riches in boxing. Promoters love to feed aspiring young hopefuls inspirational examples like that, but the reality is they are selling fighters a very rare dream in exchange for their health and livelihood.

Often, they only have their own interests at heart, and that caused Doliguez to become disillusioned with the sweet science, hence turning his eyes to the world of MMA.

It was not always possible to forge a career in the cage in the same way, but the tide is now turning. There are still big money fights in boxing, but MMA has exploded exponentially, offering the chance for more of the world’s best combatants to try and make their living doing what they love. 

For that reason, there are more boxers crossing over, but very few are legitimate world title challengers, and even fewer can say they have challenged for world titles in both sports.

Doliguez almost shocked the world in a late-notice WBO World Super Flyweight Title fight against Fernando Montiel, who would become a dominant force and multi-weight world champion in the squared circle.

“We had just two weeks preparation time, 12 days to be exact, yet I was able knock him down in the first round,” Doliguez recalls proudly.

Whilst boxing had given him some good opportunities, he would run out of steam and enthusiasm, and that is when MMA really took hold. He began training and competing in the Philippines, and soon become the top competitor in his weight class. 

The Dominator compiled a 6-1 record and avenged his only defeat to clear his division nationally. He had his sights set higher, and he was pressing ONE Championship to sign him, knowing he only wanted to be involved with the best.

“Getting into ONE was a dream came true,” he says. “I kept on posting and emailing ONE to open a strawweight division simply because I wanted to be a part of it. So many good fighters are there. Like any other fighter’s dream, I also wanted to be in a good and big promotion.”

It just so happened that his run of form and his persistence in pitching himself to the show came at the right time, as the promotion introduced their strawweight division. He would fight to crown the inaugural champion, making it his second shot at a world title.

Doliguez took on Muay Thai champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke at ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST in May 2015 ,and put on an exciting battle until things were ended prematurely, with the Filipino ultimately on the losing side of a technical decision.

After another hard-fought battle, he again lost a decision to Riku Shibuya at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS in January 2016, but now “The Dominator” is more fired up than ever to deliver a winning performance ahead of his next bout against BJJ specialist Alex Silva.

“It is very much important to me to win in this coming fight. I want to show to those who believe in me that I can make it not just for myself, but for all,” he stated.

A third loss would put any hopes of getting another title shot out of reach. The Filipino does not want to end his story just being the challenger. He still has the desire to be a world champion before he exits the tough life of professional fighting, and ONE is where he wants to do it.

Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo is on a roll.  The undefeated Singaporean has won four straight bouts in dominant fashion, but she is being dealt a wild card for her next fight.

On Friday Night, 10 February, the 27-year-old strawweight will clash with wushu-sanda Gold Medalist Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS, live from the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This match serves as Gaol’s official introduction into mixed martial arts. Although the Indonesian is known as a dangerous striker, having competed previously in Muay Thai, boxing, and wushu competition, relatively little is known about her ground game.

To the well-rounded Teo, none of that matters. She is ready for all scenarios. 

“I am confident of winning this fight. It is her pro MMA debut and I have no idea how she is going to fight,” Teo says. “I am ready to strike and I am confident of submitting her if the fight goes to the ground. I will let the fight unfold and react accordingly.”

So far, Teo has proven to be in complete control every time she enters the cage. But really, she has always maintained a sense of control, even when venturing out of her comfort zone.

Originally born in Brunei, Teo’s family relocated to Singapore when she was three-years-old. Along with her older brother and sister, she was raised in a strict environment, excelled at school, and was well-behaved. Aside from a brief stint on the track and field squad, she never pursued athletics.

That changed in 2008. At the tender age of 18 while awaiting her GCE A-Level results, she decided to try something new. Something different. Something athletic. Her friend’s cousin was teaching taekwondo and she gave it a try. A year into her training, she was eager to learn something else. 

“I wanted more, and [television program] The Contender Asia was getting popular in Singapore,” she recalls. “That sparked my interest in Muay Thai.”

Teo trained in Muay Thai for nearly two years before taking a break to study psychology at the University of Buffalo. Upon her return in December 2012, however, she wanted to go beyond the gym walls and have a fight. Just one fight.

“Funny thing is, when I first decided that I wanted to fight, it was more of a tick off my bucket list,” she admits. “I thought I would have my first fight and I would be done. Mission accomplished. Boom.”

She linked up with Arvind Lalwani, veteran fighter and head coach of Juggernaut Fight Club. A month into her training, she fulfilled her bucket list goal. The Singaporean took an amateur Muay Thai fight.

However, she lost. It was perhaps one of the few times Teo was not in control. She was understandably disappointed, but if anything, it lit a fire within her.

“It is a blessing in disguise that I lost my first fight. Losing sucks, especially with the knowledge that it was a close fight,” she offers. “I re-evaluated my weaknesses from the fight and figured I had to work more with my hands. That was how I picked up boxing.”

Evidently, the bucket list had gotten a little longer. Teo spent a year away from competition to focus on the sweet science. Needless to say, she got sweet at it — so sweet, in fact, she defeated Efasha Kamarudin in her first boxing match, and earned a spot on the Singaporean National Boxing Team.

While she was getting an advanced education in boxing, she happened to finish up her collegiate studies. After obtaining her Bachelor of Art in Psychology in 2013, she put her degree to good use, and currently works as a behavioral therapist for children with autism and ADHD.

“I have been doing research related to the field of developmental psychology and neuroscience as an intern, and also my first job after graduation,” she offers. “Transitioning into helping kids with autism and ADHD was kind of natural, I guess. It is challenging, but knowing that you are making a positive change to someone’s life makes it really satisfying.”

However, the therapist was not entirely satisfied with her combat sports career. She added Brazilian jiu-jitsu to her bag of tricks in 2015, captured 11 gold medals in local tournaments, and as of this past January, was awarded her blue belt.

Now armed with a diverse, and fairly decorated, martial arts background, it was only logical to follow through with the next step — tackle the world of mixed martial arts. 

Since debuting in 2016, the unbeaten “Soul Crusher” has racked up four wins, two via TKO and another two by submission. Most recently, she made her first appearance in ONE Championship last November — on her birthday, no less — at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR, where she tapped out Walaa Abbas with a rear-naked choke. Despite achieving victory in the big show, she was not impressed by her own performance. 

“It was my first time fighting in front of a crowd of that scale,” she shared. “I did not know what to expect and the nerves kind of got to me. I was not as relaxed as I usually am for my past fights. Even though I got the victory, I felt like there were a lot of things I had to work on.”

Even so, Teo never anticipated any of this. She grew up in a strict household with the expectation to excel in school and pursue a higher education in order to get a lucrative, and safe, job — the type of job that does not involve fighting inside a cage, let alone break a nail.

That was what she did. The Singaporean received her degree, and she has a safe job where she helps children with special needs. It just so happens she found another passion, one she also excels at, and she must chase that passion wherever it may lead.

“When I first started martial arts, I had zero intentions of becoming a professional fighter. If you asked me where I would see myself in five to ten years when I was 18, I would never have imagined myself to be a professional fighter. I would probably think that I would be pursuing my PhD in Developmental Psychology,” she explains.

“I did not intend to pursue [mixed martial arts] as a career, but I found myself finding ways to arrange my time around my training. That was when I decided that fighting is something I want to commit myself to, and I just cannot help dreaming the same dream.”

Now, Teo is in control of her fate. The dream, and bucket list, will not be fulfilled until she becomes a ONE Champion, but first she must complete her next mission. It is less than a week away. The objective is to defeat Gaol and leave Malaysia with her arm raised.