Silva objected to the referee’s decision, claiming he was not out after Mattheis’ punch five seconds into round two. He will be getting his chance for redemption against the “Papua Badboy”. The former ONE strawweight world champion aimed to prove his point at the rematch.

“[I felt okay about ] that performance, but about the result, the circumstance of the fight, I’m very disappointed and very sad,” Silva said. “It’s always going to be an opinion on what happened if [the referee] did not stop it. [Mattheis] could have finished me. I could have finished him. Nobody knows what was supposed to happen on that night. We’re going to know what will happen on Friday.”

Adrian Mattheis wants to prove he’s a real deal

The TKO victory was the biggest win for Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis and arguably the most significant win for any Indonesian mixed martial artist on the global stage thus far.

Silva had been Mattheis’ idol who inspired him to pursue a career in the sport.

While Mattheis understood Silva’s frustration, he agreed with the referee’s decision to end the contest to prevent further damages.

“Silva was already out. I knocked him out with the first blow, and I gave him more hammer fists on the ground. When I hit him, I saw the whites of his eyes, and I went to capitalize on that. I got him with two hammer fists on the ground. When I went in for the third, the ref pulled me off when Silva went for my leg,” Mattheis said.

Read also: Adrian Mattheis to face Alex Silva in highly anticipated rematch

Still, Mattheis welcomes the rematch without hesitation, as another win against a major force at a strawweight like Silva would erase any doubt that he was the real deal.

“I know that a lot of people want to see if I am the real deal. I want to prove that I’m that good and put to rest the arguments. So, I’ll go and do my best. The rest is up to God,” the 29-year-old Indonesian said.

“I’m fighting my idol once again. I can’t say which way the fight is going to be finished, but I

want to prove I can beat him. I want to say that because he didn’t accept his loss, then I’ll prove

myself with this one, so the world can see.”

Watch ONE 158 live on NETVERSE, Vidio, Kaskus TV, or MAXstream beginning with the lead card at 4:30 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Friday, June 3.

The main card broadcasts live on NETVERSE, Vidio, Kaskus TV, and MAXstream at 7:30 p.m. WIB. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10:00 p.m. WIB.

This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.