Who is Jean Claude Saclag? PH's silver medalist in the Asian Games - GMA Network
Jean Claude Saclag's silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games came in mixed martial arts, but his path to the podium started years earlier, across three different combat sports.
The 31-year-old from the Cordillera region lost to Tajikistan's Otabek Rajabov via unanimous decision in the men's traditional -65kg final in Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday, finishing runner-up in MMA's debut at the Asian Games.
But Saclag first gained international attention in wushu sanda. He took bronze at the 2013 World Wushu Championships, gold at the 2014 Sanda World Cup, and then silver at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, his first Asian Games medal.
He later moved into kickboxing, where he became a three-time consecutive SEA Games champion in the -63.5kg division, winning in 2019, 2021, and 2023. He also won the 2022 Asian Kickboxing Championship in Bangkok.
MMA became the discipline where his wushu and kickboxing came together. Saclag joined the Baguio-based Team Lakay stable and went on to compete internationally, including under the ONE Championship banner.
In 2026, he won gold at the Asian MMA Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, earning his spot at the Asian Games.
Circling back to this yearβs Asian Games, he beat Saudi Arabia's Saud Fawaz Almolhem in the quarterfinals and Japan's Daisuke Murayama in the semifinals before bowing out in the gold medal match.
Across more than a decade, Saclag has now collected hardware in wushu, kickboxing, and MMA. He boasts a World Wushu Championship medal, a Sanda World Cup title, an Asian Games silver in wushu, three SEA Games kickboxing golds, an Asian Kickboxing Championship title, an Asian MMA Championship gold, and now, a second Asian Games silver.
