Carlo Bumina-ang’s Sees Upcoming Fight At ONE Fight Night 39 Against Undefeated Brazilian As “Kill Or Get Killed”

Carlo Bumina-ang’s momentum disappeared when his last fight hit the canvas. He had found success with dirty boxing in the opening round against undefeated Elbek Alyshov at ONE Fight Night 37 in November, but he had zero answers once the grappling started, ultimately tapping to a guillotine choke in the second frame after body shots and knees took their toll.

The loss pushed the 31-year-old Filipino powerhouse’s record to 8-2, derailing what could have been a perfect 2025 after back-to-back TKO finishes over Song Min Jong and Mauro Mastromarini had positioned him as a serious bantamweight threat.

“In the first round, the momentum was mine. But he snuck in some slick body shots on me. Those knees to the body took their toll, and I felt it weighing down on me as the fight progressed,” Bumina-ang said.

On January 23 at ONE Fight Night 39 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime, the Team Lakay standout faces another unbeaten threat in Brazilian finisher Marcos Aurelio, who brings a perfect 8-0 record showcasing well-rounded skills with victories via both knockout and submission.

The 21-year-old arrives making his promotional debut, but Bumina-ang understands the challenge ahead while believing the stylistic matchup favors him.

“His ground game is good, but he’s more of a Muay Thai specialist. He’s a good counterstriker and pressure fighter as well. It plays to my style, actually, because I prefer aggressive opponents,” he said.

“He’s a striker, but I won’t underestimate him on the ground. I need to be wary because I believe he’ll try to test my grappling. My two losses were by submission, so he’ll probably think he can take me there. But I’ll prove him wrong if he tries.”

Now facing a critical crossroads with consecutive submission losses threatening his division standing, Bumina-ang admits feeling the weight of his recent shortcomings while refusing to let anyone use him as a stepping stone.

The pressure drives his current mentality — if he can string together three or more victories beginning with Aurelio, a rematch with new ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu could materialize, avenging the last-second submission defeat from their August 2024 meeting.

“I feel like my back is against the wall since I now have two losses in ONE. My mentality right now is simply kill or get killed,” Bumina-ang said. “Congratulations on your success, Enkh. I wish you well. I hope I can earn a rematch with you soon. Maybe if I can win three or more fights, we can meet again.”