Next Friday, Eko Roni Saputra will look to score his third consecutive win in ONE Championship while strengthening his case for a shot at flyweight supremacy.
Standing in his way will be F3 Boxing Champion Murugan “Wolverine” Silvarajoo, who will battle the Indonesian in a 63.5-kilogram catch weight mixed martial arts bout on the undercard of ONE: REIGN OF DYNASTIES.
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Saputra knows the matchup could begin with fireworks, but he’ll be looking to play to his own strength against the boxing ace.
“We will start it in a stand-up position,” the Evolve MMA athlete said, “So we’ll strike a lot.
“Coach Siyar [Bahadurzada] told me that I’d improved my striking capabilities, and maybe I will need to show that.
“But if it doesn’t work, then I’ll try to take him down because ultimately, I am a wrestler, so I am better at ground fighting. Then again, if I am not careful, I might get punched and knocked out. So, I need to be cautious and read the situation.”
While he certainly trusts his ground game, Saputra is also vowing to remain patient and avoid rushing toward a finish.
“Wrestling is already in my DNA, so I guess I’ll just focus on what I can do,” he said.
“I will need to think positively and do my best. I have also learned from my first fight on maintaining control after executing a takedown. I’ve learned from experience to stay calm and read the game.”
If he reads the bout well enough to get his hand raised, Saptura would undoubtedly move closer to his ultimate goal of competing for the ONE Flyweight World Title.
But by the sounds of it, he’s in no rush.
“I’m going step by step,” he said. “If I was already a top-ranked competitor, then a loss might not be a big problem because I would still be at the top. But for now, what I need to do is improve my rank.”
Watch ONE: REIGN OF DYNASTIES on meWATCH or the ONE Super App at 8:30 p.m. Singapore Standard Time (SGT) next Friday, 9 October.
Also, Channel 5 will have the action on a same-day delay at 10 p.m. SGT.
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