Aston Palicte Tops UFC Fight Pass Card

Roy Jones Jr Promotions has a relationship now with UFC and their Thursday (Jan. 31) card topped by Aston Palicte will screen on the MMA outfit’s streaming platform.

I reached out to get a better sense of what the 24-2-1 super fly hitter Palicte is all about; he meets 20-0-2 Jose Martinez, for the record.

“I grew in a small town surrounded by waters called Bago (now a small city),” Palicte told me. “We were quite poor then, having 8 siblings (4 brothers and 4 sisters) in a small house. My dad was working at the city hall, basically connected with sports. That’s why my dad wanted his kids to more inclined with sports as well. My mom is a plain housewife. We are a family of boxers, 3 of us brothers are in boxing, the eldest one is now one of my coaches. The girls were into taekwondo. You know when you’re poor, a lot of people will look down at you, bully you, things like that, that’s why my dad always wanted us to be able to defend ourselves during these trying times.”

And he told us more how he got deeper into pugilism:

“When I was 14, I joined the Philippine Team for boxing. Three of us brothers actually joined the national team, now only one of us is left in the amateur camp. During my amateur days, I was able to fight international, in China, Mexico, Cuba but didn’t really get a sense of accomplishment. So when I was 19, I decided to go pro. My older brother, Vincent, convinced me to get out of the amateur camp since I already felt that there’s slow to no progress in my career and I’m getting older. He, by that time, already had Jason Soong as his manager and he introduced me to him. And the rest is history.”

And what about him outside the ring?

“I met my wife while I was training in Davao at the MP(Manny Pacquiao) gym. She supported my sport and she made me a better , more responsible boxer. She always keeps me motivated especially when I feel like almost quiting. She’s basically my personal adviser when making huge decisions. We were training in Manila when we got the e-mail from RJJ Boxing Promotions, and that’s when I saw the better light in my career. Now, I’m a husband and a father to a one-year-old boy.There’s a new reason for me to strive harder in my career, for the future of my own family. They’re my inspiration and they’re the reason why I’m here now.”

In his last outing, the 28 year old drew with Donnie (42-1-5) Nietes (on Sept. 8, 2018):

“As for the fight against Nietes, I was kind of expecting to win that fight. I got him good during the first rounds. His face was all swollen. But I respect the judges’ decision. We can do nothing about that anymore. After all, we can do a rematch if I win this eliminator fight against Martinez. I’m sure they can give us a better result by then. I’ve seen how Jose Martinez fought. He was good, yes, but I’m confident I can win this fight against him. I’m still hungry for a world title. I missed it the first time, this time, I’m not letting it go. If I win this, I will be challenging the champion and strip that belt off of him.”