Eko Roni Saputra trained hard on the wrestling mat so he could win medals for his country for 17 years. During his days as a professional wrestling athlete, Eko won gold medals at the 2012 Riau and 2016 West Java National Games (PON) and reached his peak with a silver medal at the 27th Southeast Asian Games in 2013 in Myanmar.

But these sporting achievements led him only to employment as a contractual support staff at the East Kalimantan Sports Agency, where his main job is photocopying documents, preparing hot drinks for his superiors and helping to set up sound equipment for the weekly flag-hoisting ceremony, common at government offices.

“In terms of job security, the situation worries me and my family. But nothing could be done at that time to improve the situation. So I just waited while continuing to train,” he told journalists in Singapore on Jan. 15.

Eko’s last wrestling stage was the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, where his bid for gold ended at the quarterfinals. A few days following the event, he received a message on his Instagram account, inviting him to join Evolve MMA, a mixed martial arts (MMA) club in Singapore.

The message pinged his radar, which warned him that it could be part of some fraud scheme or an attempt at embarrassing him. Eko did not take it seriously, but he did consult his wife, Nurdila Agusta, a former track-and-field athlete.

“I was totally in the dark at that time. I didn’t even know what MMA stood for,” recalled Eko with a slight smile.

Nurdila acted quickly, going online to look for answers, and discovered that the offer appeared to be legitimate.  

“I checked everything, trying not to miss any single fact, as it concerned our family's future. At first, we were worried because the offer seemed too good to be true,” said Nurdila, who accompanied Eko during a special interview given to The Jakarta Post and Top Skor sports daily.

The couple also sought advice from their parents, who told them to be very careful so they did not jeopardize Eko's career. But for the couple, no matter how small the salary offer, Eko’s athletic career was the main concern.

“So the decision was mine to make, and in the end I decided to follow my gut and responded to the invitation,” said Eko.

He then worked on persuading his wife not to worry, saying that this kind of offer would not come twice. Instead of being afraid, he suggested that they take a leap of faith.

As a precaution, Eko then negotiated a weeklong trial before making a final decision. And then he — along with Nurdila — traveled to the club in Singapore, where he trained for a week.

Eko was impressed by the way the gym's management treated him. At the end of that week, he obtained management approval to provide an apartment for his family in Singapore, and then signed a five-year contract as an MMA athlete.

“This has been like a dream come true for me. I never learned why it was me, but I guess I’m OK with it. This is a second chance for me, and I wanted to keep this chance open,” said Eko, who aims to build his career in Singapore.

Eko may not know the reason behind the offer, but the vice president of Evolve MMA, Wesley De Souza, does.

De Souza said that early information on Eko came from a talent scouting team that Evolve MMA had assigned to spot any potential martial arts talent in the region.

“Our coaches found and later decided that Eko was a world-class wrestler with a solid track record. From our experience, a wrestler has a better chance at becoming a good MMA fighter, and that is why we took the chance and made him the offer,” said De Souza.

Evolve MMA has opened another door to a professional career in sports for Eko, one which has led to the ONE Championship. Eko made his debut in the ONE Championship arena in Manila in April 2019, where he swallowed the bitter taste of defeat to Singapore's Nico Soe.

Eko recalled that his debut fight was the best lesson he had. It taught him many things about upper body contact, something that he rarely faced during his days as a wrestler. Eko won his second ONE Championship bout on a technical knockout in October, when he faced the Philippines' Kaji Ebin.

However, he does not consider this a proper win, as Ebin had dislocated his shoulder during a volley of punches in the first 90 seconds.

“I will make up for that in the upcoming bout. That will be the time to prove to the spectators that I deserve the title,” said Eko, referring to his upcoming ONE Championship bout against Khon Sichan of Cambodia in the flyweight class.

The event, called ONE: Warrior's Code, is slated to be held at the Istora Senayan indoor stadium in Jakarta on Feb. 7.

ONE Championship public relations director Tami Chan acknowledged that aside from his proven track record in martial arts skills, Eko also possessed good character. The fact that he had been carving out an MMA niche for himself from scratch through rigorous training, and that he put his family above all else made Eko special, said Chan.

“A real-life modern hero, a hard worker who has been going all out in building a better future for himself and his family. One who won't just attract martial art fans but also those who need role models. Such a perfect combination,” Tami said in describing Eko.

Eko protested mildly at being called "a hero", saying that his sole motivation was to provide more for his family. He had vowed to build a career in Singapore and left behind the idea of going back home to Indonesia, at least for now.

“This has been beyond my wildest imagination for me and my family. I have no reason to turn this away. Building a new career as an MMA fighter here [Singapore] is the most logical option for me,” he said.

Eko’s improved finances allowed him to send his parents and in-laws on umrah (minor haj) recently, something he had not dared to dream about when he was an athlete back home.

Nurdila was fully behind Eko’s career as an MMA fighter, saying that she was fulfilling her role as a wife and partner so Eko could focus on his training.

“We plan to build our new life here, but we never forget our families back home,” she added.

Besides sending their parents on the pilgrimage, Nurdila said that the couple had just bought two plots of land of around 1,000 square meters in their hometown of Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

“We still don’t have a clear idea about what we'll do with the land right now. We still need to discuss this with [our] extended family,” said Nurdila, who plans to open an Indonesian restaurant.

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