Adrian Mattheis Hopes Record-Breaking Run Can Lead To Gold
He might seem like an outsider to challenge ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, but Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis believes he has the potential to go for gold.
One look at the Indonesian’s statistics after his latest win against Himanshu Kaushik at ONE: FOR HONOR shows he might have a point.
Hometown hero Adrian Mattheis locks in a TIGHT rear-naked choke to force the tap from Himanshu Kaushik at 4:42 of Round 1!Watch the full event on the ONE Super App 👉 http://bit.ly/ONESuperApp | TV: Check local listings for global broadcast
Posted by ONE Championship on Friday, May 3, 2019
When the 25-year-old forced the Indian wushu champion to tap to a rear-naked choke in the first round on 3 May, Mattheis sealed his third consecutive win – and all of them have come via stoppage.
“This proves that Indonesia can compete with other countries in mixed martial arts,” he says.
“I studied my opponent, and I was aware that he is also a champion in his country. My team and I prepared my game plan well for this bout.
“When I found out that the clock was ticking, I went for the choke and managed to finish my opponent.”
Following his latest triumph, the Tigershark Fighting Academy representative has now also only been defeated once in seven matches dating back to September 2017, and he has set a trio of records along the way.
Mattheis now has more bouts (12), wins (8), and finishes (7), than any other athlete in his weight class – including any of its former World Champions.
The “Papua Badboy” has also improved exponentially since his introduction to The Home Of Martial Arts in 2016 to become one of his nation’s most successful competitors.
Now, he is determined to do whatever it takes to carve his name in history by becoming the first Indonesian to get their hands on his sport’s ultimate prize.
“My next target would be to make my way to a World Title bout – plain and simple. I am only going to give my best for my country and my hometown,” he adds.
However, his own dreams of glory were not the only thing that motivated him to get his hand raised in his nation’s capital this month.
The Jakarta resident was determined to win for his friends and family in his childhood home, where dozens of people were killed, and many more were injured in flash floods in March.
“I would like to dedicate this victory for my brothers in Sentani, Papua, who were struck by a natural disaster a couple of months ago,” he explains.
“With this victory, I hope they would somehow be slightly relieved and proud to have someone representing them and achieving a win.”
