Who is Carlos Alvarez? PH's bronze medalist in the Asian Games - GMA Network

Carlos Alvarez may not yet be a household name among casual Filipino sports fans, but the 27-year-old fighter has already built a solid international resume in mixed martial arts.

During this year’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he added his biggest career highlight yet. Alvarez captured the bronze medal in the men's MMA traditional -77kg division to become one of the Philippines' first Asian Games medalists in the sport as it made its debut at the quadrennial meet.

The Baguio City native opened his campaign with a knockout win over Indonesia's Ananda Wahyu Setyo Prabowo in the quarterfinals, which secured him a medal. He then lost to Kazakhstan's Yerkingali Burkutalin, who ended his gold-medal aspirations in the semis.

Alvarez developed under Team Lakay, the famed martial arts stable known for producing several championship-caliber fighters from the Cordillera region.

He has competed under the ONE Championship banner and currently holds a professional record of six wins and two losses.

Though he fell short of earning a coveted gold medal, the bronze gave the Philippines a reason to celebrate as the Asian Games continue.