Bultong

Bultong is the Ifugao name for their sport of traditional wrestling. It is often played during town and provincial fiestas. Bultong falls under the international classification of "belt wrestling".

Notables

Two Ifugao bultong champions who also excelled and became famous in other combat sports are:

• Ronald Bingwaoel – former member of the Philippine sanshou team and one of Asia's best sanshou fighters in the 1990s. He also became an Universal Reality Combat Championship mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, winning his match in URCC 2 on April 2003.
• Jason Balabal – current Philippine wrestling team member and 2009 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, 84 kilogram division.

Sanshou gives points for wrestling take-downs, aside from kicks and punches, but does not allow ground fighting.

Further reading

• Barton, R. F. "Ifugao Law" University of California Publications on American Archeology and Ethnology. The Internet Archive. February 15, 1919
• Sevilla III, Karlo Silverio. Interview with Erlinda Napiloy, Sports Director, Ifugao State University. Conducted on March 2007.
• Sevilla III, Karlo Silverio. Interview with Jason Balabal. Conducted on December 2007.
• Sevilla III, Karlo Silverio. Interview with Melvin Sia, Bultong Photographer, January 2008.
• Sevilla III, Karlo Silverio. Interview with Juan Alberto Balde, President, Wrestling Association of the Philippines. Conducted on September 1998.
• Mallari, Perry Gil."FMA CORNER: Various forms of Filipino Indigenous Wrestling" FMApulse.com,November 23, 2009.http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-various-forms-filipino-indigenous-wrestling?page=1.

7."Pacific Island Traditional Wrestling." Coreeda Association of Australia. http://www.coreedaoz.com/main/page_pacific_island_traditional_wrestling.html (Accessed on December 13, 2010) &"Belt wrestling." Olympic Council of Asia, 2009. http://www.ocasia.org/sports/SportsT.aspx?GSCode=125 (Accessed on January 15, 2011)

See Also

• Filipino Martial Arts
• Buno
• Dumog