Last Saturday, March 16, on MMK, we witnessed an inspiring story of how one ordinary man chose to rise above the hardships in life. Amid the bullying and all the struggles that he and his family had to go through, Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales stood strong with high hopes of the future. He fought hard until he reached his ultimate goal, then he still continued to work hard and achieved more.

As what we have seen in the MMK episode “Black Belt”, Ramon, portrayed by JM de Guzman, lived a very simple life with his family. They struggled mainly in sustaining their family’s financial needs. Ramon also experienced bullying by his classmates when he was young. However, he didn’t let them degrade him and hurt him physically—he fought and defended himself.

Eventually, Ramon’s family suffered even more in poverty when their father abandoned them. He needed to stop his schooling and work at a very young age. Nevertheless, he worked not just to help his family financially but also to be able to sustain himself in achieving his ultimate goal: to graduate from school and be the one to uplift his family from their pitiful plight.

In knowing that being a fighter is his best skill, Ramon grabbed the opportunity when he encountered it. When he discovered that his teacher could help him excel in karate, he began to compete and strived to earn while studying. And because of his focus and discipline, he exceled and won in several karate tournaments.

Although Ramon still went through a lot of challenges, he remained focused on working hard for his dreams. Now, he is a three-time national champion of the Philippines, and is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter in One Championship.

Indeed, Ramon is a true champion not just in the fighting ring but most importantly in life. Take a look at snaps of Ramon in this gallery.