NAGOYA—Jean Claude Saclag moved within one victory of giving the Philippines its first Asian Games’ gold medal in mixed martial arts after dominating Japan’s Daisuke Murayama in the men’s traditional -65kg semifinal on Monday at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.

Saclag dictated the pace from the opening bell, using his superior striking to keep Murayama from unleashing his dangerous ground game.

The Filipino’s aggressive approach paid off as he secured a unanimous decision and a spot in Tuesday’s gold-medal showdown.

“Ramdam ko na mas malakas ako. Na-overpower ko siya,” said Saclag, who will face Tajikistan’s Otabek Rajabov for the gold medal on Sept. 22.

With a historic gold within reach, Saclag intends to stick with the same aggressive yet disciplined strategy in the championship bout.

“Sanay naman tayo lumaban sa finals, kaya mas lalo akong na-inspire. Iba pa rin ’to. Asian Games ’to, eh,” Saclag said in a video interview with One Sports after the match.

Saclag acknowledged that Murayama’s strength on the ground made him wary of engaging too closely, forcing him to rely on distance, precision striking and takedown defense throughout the semifinal.

“Kailangan keep natin ’yung distance, saktan natin siya, tapos depensahan natin ’yung takedowns niya,” he said.

Saclag’s victory gave the Philippines another guaranteed medal in mixed martial arts, following Carlos Alvarez’s bronze in the men’s traditional -77kg division.

The 27-year-old Alvarez fought Kazakhstan’s taller Yerkingali Burkutalin in a tight semifinal, but lost by a 0-3 decision, settling for bronze after a spirited performance.

Alvarez booked his place in the medal round by sweeping Indonesia’s Ananda Wahyu Setyo Prabowo, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.

He battled gamely against Burkutalin but could not secure a place in the championship match.