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Wrestler Eko Roni seeks 'ground battle' at upcoming ONE Championship MMA bout
Indonesian wrestler-turned-MMA-fighter Eko Roni Saputra wants to prove he can earn a proper victory, following a previous win that, according to some, was based on luck.
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Indonesian MMA fighter Eko Roni Saputra (‘left’) trains with a sparring partner in preparation for the Feb. 7 ONE Championship event to be held at the Istora Senayan sports stadium. Eko will face Khon Sichan of Cambodia. (The Jakarta Post/Courtesy of ONE Championship)
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ndonesian wrestler-turned-MMA-fighter Eko Roni Saputra has vowed to put up an aggressive fight after spending months perfecting his skills and strategies to anticipate his upcoming opponent, Khon Sichan of Cambodia, who has a Muay Thai background.
Eko will meet Sichan at the ONE Championship MMA bout, dubbed ONE: Warriors’ Code, which will be held at the Istora Senayan sports stadium on Feb. 7.
“As an MMA fighter, I’m still looking for my winning momentum. And I will be very aggressive in looking for that moment at the next ONE bout,” Eko told journalists on the sidelines of a training session at the Evolve MMA club in Singapore recently.
Eko said one of his biggest tasks would be forcing his opponent to follow his lead during the fight. He said he realized it wouldn’t be easy as he had originated from a different discipline.
“Facing an opponent from the Muay Thai discipline means that he will launch attacks mostly on the upper body. Once I can take him down and force him to fight me on the ground, I will have a bigger opportunity to win the fight,” he said.
In his last fight in October of last year, Eko benefitted from the condition of his opponent, Kaji Ebin of the Philippines, whose shoulder was dislocated after launching a few punches in the first 90 seconds. Eko was declared the winner, but he acknowledged that his quick win had failed to give him the proper introduction to the spectators.
Eko, who has a wrestling background, recognized that upper-body fighting skills had been his main focus since he shifted gears from wrestling to MMA in 2018.
