Saputra’s Seventh Straight Finish Earns Him Sole US$50,000 Performance Bonus At ONE 162
The stars competing at ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella this past Friday, October 21, provided fans inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with plenty of action from start to finish.
But one athlete’s gamesmanship and appetite for a finish stood out from the rest of his peers.
That athlete is Eko Roni Saputra, who earned himself a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
The Indonesian wrestling star claimed the solitary performance bonus of the night with a heel hook submission of Yodkaikaew Fairtex in their MMA bout that kicked off the main card.
Saputra controlled the Muay Thai specialist with his ruthless ground game before locking in the match-winning finish on his rival’s leg, forcing an instant tap from “Y2K” at 2:16 of the opening frame.
In the process, he continued to cement his spot in the ONE record books as the first competitor with seven straight first-round finishes.
It was also the 31-year-old’s seventh consecutive victory in ONE Championship, pushing his record to 7-1.
With his incredible run of form, Saputra is establishing himself as a serious threat to crack the top-five rankings in the flyweight MMA division, which is currently ruled by American legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
