Japanese mixed martial artist Senzo Ikeda heads into ONE Championship circle
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ndonesian mixed martial arts star Elipitua “the Magician” Siregar will now face Japanese Senzo Ikeda on Friday, 14 Jan, following last-minute changes in the bout card of ONE: HEAVY HITTERS.
Robin “the Ilonggo” Catalan and Jeremy “the Jaguar” Miado, who were initially scheduled to face Siregar and Ikeda, respectively, have been forced to withdraw from their bouts due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Other changes include the removal of the ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship bout that pitted Murat “the Butcher” Aygun versus Roman Kryklia, which was initially the co-main event of Friday’s show.
Instead, the second-last fight of the event will feature a long-awaited battle between #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex and Thai phenom Tawanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym.
Muay Thai strikers Elias “the Sniper” Mahmoudi, Walter Goncalves, as well as mixed martial arts star Leandro “Wolf” Ataides, will no longer compete on Friday.
As a result, the scheduled matchup between Mahmoudi and Goncalves has been scratched, while Ataides’ middleweight clash with Yushin “Thunder” Okami has been removed from the lineup.
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For Siregar, this would serve as a huge step up as his upcoming adversary boasts nearly two decades of experience in the martial arts scene. The former Pancrase Flyweight Champion started to compete in professional boxing in 2003 before transitioning into MMA 10 years ago.
Ikeda was undefeated in “sweet science,” compiling an 8-0 record with two championships in Japan before hanging up his boxing gloves.
In MMA, the 39-year-old Ikeda has raked up 11 career victories, almost three times as many as Siregar, who jumped into the all-encompassing sport in 2018.
Granted that Ikeda possesses a wealth of experience in an all-striking discipline, Siregar comes from a different spectrum. He is a former Indonesia Wrestling Champion who is known for his menacing grappling ability.
So far, Siregar has been nothing short of impressive. He has bagged four victories in five games with a 100 percent finishing rate. In fact, three of his victories were scored via rear-naked choke, including in his last outing against Egi Rozten in Jakarta a little over two years ago.
While victory over a noted veteran will help Siregar climb up the ONE Championship’s strawweight rankings, an outstanding performance from the 25-year-old Indonesian could earn him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Starting from ONE: WINTER WARRIORS in 2021, ONE has now standardized its performance bonuses.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong will award $50,000 at every event moving forward. At least one bonus will be handed out for each show, with a maximum of five, depending on fighters’ performances.
“We have always given out $50,000 bonuses but it was not every event. It was if there were spectacular performances, we have given out for the last several years,” Sityodtong explained on The MMA Hour on Thursday. “This year is the first year that we will give out every single show, several of these $50,000 bonuses. Our main criteria is performance of course, but gameness. Gameness we define as fighting every second of the fight to finish.”
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This article is a collaboration with ONE Championship