“Dynamite” Eko Roni Saputra may well be feared for his grappling prowess, but his striking repertoire is proven to be equally menacing.

The former Indonesia wrestling champion unleashed his powerful punch to flatten Liu Peng Shuai of China 10 seconds into their mixed martial arts (MMA) bout on Aug. 13, 2021, in ONE: BATTLEGROUND II to register the fastest finish in ONE Championship’s flyweight division.

It was his fifth consecutive win in “The Home of Martial Arts” since making his first appearance in the organization in 2019. Ever since that devastating knockout, no fighter has scored a faster finish throughout the year.

It also marked the first time he finished via knockout as in his last three fights, he won it via submission.

Following a brief touch of the gloves, Liu took the first initiative at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Chinese southpaw fired a jab and then a left cross, but Eko managed to evade the attacks.

Liu, who previously defeated Eko’s compatriot Elipitua Siregar, went on to threaten with his boxing, as he threw a looping right hook and swung another left cross in his adversary’s direction. But the Indonesian fighter dodged again the incoming shots.

Eko then started to impose his will, and living up to his nickname, “Dynamite” exploded.

Eko measured the distance with his left hand, leaned forward, and landed a right hook and a short left, which forced the Chinese athlete to take a few steps back.

As Liu tried to reset, the Samarinda-born fighter sprung forward to meet him. Just as his opponent whipped a kick, Eko threw a rocket of an overhand right that landed squarely on Liu’s chin and instantly turned off his lights.

Eko knew the match was over and held himself off from launching a follow up attack. He managed to keep his promise to give the best present for his country that would celebrate its Independence Day just four days after the event. 

This electrifying knockout victory also elevated Eko’s name on the global stage and made a case for his future goal of challenging for the gold. With five consecutive wins in the first round, he rose to become a force to be reckoned with.

While it set a new record in flyweight history, there are three faster MMA finishes in ONE Championship.

Fellow Indonesian Mario Satya Wirawan and Russian fighter Timofey Nastyukhin sit atop the list with a six-second knockout over Cambodia’s Chan Heng (2015) and Australian Rob Lisita (2016) in the bantamweight and lightweight divisions, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chinese athlete Nuerdebieke Bahetihan scored an eight-second knockout of Brazilian Bruno Pucci (2016) in the featherweight division to register the third fastest win. Eko’s record is tied with Chinese Li Kai Wen who made an identical 10-second victory over Filipino Rodian Menchavez in the lightweight division in 2018.

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This article is a collaboration with ONE Championship

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