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Elipitua ‘The Magician’ Siregar ready to fight for Indonesia
Elipitua “The Magician” Siregar is ready to square off against Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan on Jan. 14 to open ONE: HEAVY HITTERS at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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Elipitua 'The Magician' Siregar preparing for a fight against Egi Rozten at ONE: DAWN OF VALOR at Istora Senayan Jakarta in 2019.
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lipitua “The Magician” Siregar is ready to square off against Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan on Jan. 14 to open ONE: HEAVY HITTERS at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The match is an important one for the Bali-based fighter, as this is a chance to defend Indonesia’s pride in the sport.
This will not be an easy fight, as the Illonggo has already defeated two of Indonesia’s top fighters before: Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis and Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian, a streak Elipitua is determined to break.
“I will have to dominate and get a clear win to show that both of my seniors lost not because they were not skillful, but because of other things,” he said. “Hopefully, Stefer, my senior [at Bali MMA], will show me some advice or a better game plan to face Catalan, so I can win.”
Elipitua hopes his partnership with Stefer will grant him a victory against Robin, and his track record has proven that it is a big possibility. The Indonesian has a 4-1 record in ONE under his belt, including three submission victories and a total-knock-out (TKO) finish.
His ground-fighting skill, coupled with new tricks from Rahardian and his coaches, could prove crucial in the upcoming mission. Moreover, he has been sharpening his striking repertoire and believes he can outbox the Filipino wushu champion.
“If it is said that Robin’s Muay Thai skills are good, we have better ones at Bali MMA. I usually spar with [ONE bantamweight] Muhammad Aiman for now, [as well as] Lamhot Buha and Prawira, all in a division above mine. They also have good Muay Thai skills,” Elipitua said.
It seems that sparring with a partner in a heavier division is one of his strategies to prepare for his matches. After conceding that Aiman, one of his sparring partners, proved to be difficult because of the difference in their height, Elipitua is optimistic that it will be the recipe to success when it comes to matches with long-range strikers.
While he is looking forward to his match with Robin, he also hopes to reach new heights for Indonesia on the global stage. Beating a veteran who has already vanquished his talented compatriots would go a long way toward that goal and potentially offer the chance to face a top-ranked strawweight in 2022.
“My dream is to become a world title contender in ONE Championship because Indonesia has yet to have any title contender or a world championship,” Siregar said.
The Magician also has some words for his opponent, Catalan.
“I know you have good takedown defense because you are coming from wushu,” Siregar said. “But I will definitely seek [your] submission.”
Watch ONE: HEAVY HITTERS on the ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!
This article is a collaboration with ONE Championship
