Bu Huo You Ga (4-2) knows how important martial arts has been to Chinese culture, and now, with the growth of it as a global competition, the 24-year-old wants to become one of the nation’s most prominent heroes.
“In five years, I will be a beast,” he says. “In the near future, I expect to win the ONE Strawweight World Title. I believe I can do it.”
The 24-year-old, a ONE Hefei Flyweight Tournament Champion, can take the next step to his bright future on Friday, 18 August, as he clashes with Rene “The Challenger” Catalan (2-2, 1 NC) at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS. It will be his first match inside the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Bu, who goes by the name “Youga,” has always succeeded when he has dedicated himself to a cause.
For instance, at the age of 13, he won a wrestling scholarship to Chongqing Yundong Tiyu Xueyuan, a sports academy more than 800 kilometers away from his village up in the mountains of Liangshan in the Sichuan province.
Although he possessed natural talent, he was a small competitor — in fact, he still is, standing at only 162 centimetres — and was often tossed around on the mats. Since his progress was slow, his coach ran out of patience and gave him a choice: lift his game, or leave and go get a job.
“Ever since that lecture, I began to stay after training and worked on my technique more, and my wrestling improved quickly,” he remembers. “On rest days, I would lift weights on my own. I believed as long as I put in enough effort, then I would become a great wrestler.”
That steadfast belief and hard work paid off. Seven years later, “Youga” won the China national championship in Greco-Roman Wrestling. Overcoming the odds has been the tale of his life.
Hailing from the Yi ethnic minority in China, Bu was the youngest in a family of five, and remembers he would often have to go without food. When he reached his teenage years, he got a couple of part-time jobs so he could help the household out a little bit more.
“Whenever I had a break from school, I would work odd jobs to make extra money, and I would use it to buy clothes and school supplies,” he says.
“Youga” also would not allow himself to be bullied. In fact, when he was picked on by bigger kids, he channeled a martial arts legend, whom he fondly watched on the silver screen.
“I always stood up to bullies,” he explains. “I even remember beating up a bully with nunchucks after being inspired by a Bruce Lee movie.”
That could very well explain the reason Bu was passionate about so many different martial arts disciplines. Lee was a master who trained in multiple styles, and in a way, “Youga” followed his lead. After a standout Greco-Roman Wrestling career, he built upon his wrestling base to include striking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“My life focus is athletics,” Bu states. “Whether it is wrestling or martial arts, my family sees my athletic talent and supports me, whatever I chose to do. Their support is really my biggest source of motivation.”
Bu will carry that motivation with him to ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS, when he battles Catalan. Similar to his Chinese counterpart, “The Challenger” is a Filipino wushu champion who has been adding more diversity to his skill set.
Even so, Bu is confident, and as demonstrated in the past, his strong belief and hard work always seem to pay off.
“My opponent is a decent striker,” Bu says. “My plan is to control the distance with boxing. Once I get the takedown, I will drop relentless ground-and-pound until he submits from strikes.”
That could ultimately bring him one step closer to his desired title aspirations.