Stefer Rahardian Sees Alex Silva Bout As Chance To Reach New Heights

A win next Friday, 16 August at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD could transform Stefer “The Lion” Rahadian’s career.

The Indonesian hero will face Brazil’s Alex “Little Rock” Silva in Bangkok, Thailand, and a victory against a former ONE Strawweight World Champion will allow him to supercharge his own quest for the gold.

“I will fight hard against him. I will throw everything I have because I have all respect for my opponent, a former World Champion, which will be a good opportunity for me to prove myself,” he says.

“If I can steal a win here, I will be able to return to the top. I am only expecting, by the grace of God, that all I have practiced so far may bring me back to the top.”

The Jakarta native trains in Bali MMA, and he has worked hard ever since his last bout in January to sharpen his skills in preparation for the chance to get back in the Circle.

When he found out he would face a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he increased the intensity of his training sessions to make sure he can do some damage with his striking, and survive if he goes to ground.

That has meant round after round with the talented grapplers that litter the mats during practice, and forcing himself to go outside his comfort zone to train with bigger, stronger, more skilled athletes.

“I have practiced more striking and to anticipate his movements – since I will have to prepare well for his submission attempts,” the 32-year-old explains.

“I have rolled a lot with Andrew and Anthony Leone, as they are also heavier than me. This can also be an advantage of its own, but in terms of facing Alex, they only said that I should fight really hard.

“I have trained with all the grapplers, as the grapplers here are bigger than me. They also put me with some grapplers who can also strike well – Andrew, Anthony, Muhammad Aiman, Kaan Ofili, and Gianni Subba.”

Bali MMA is known as a haven for striking-savvy competitors who want to sharpen their ground game, but Rahardian says he has also come on a lot with his stand-up skills.

He is particularly thankful for the help of Muhammad “Jungle Cat” Aiman.

The Malaysian trained alongside his Indonesian counterpart for his bout with “The Terminator” Sunoto at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES, and he helped to bring “The Lion’s” speed and footwork to a whole new level.

“He was extremely helpful. Since Aiman is bigger, I definitely have to practice more speed [when I spar with him],” adds the ONE Jakarta Flyweight Tournament Champion.

“This is also helpful since Aiman is also a world-class striker. His movements are wild, unreadable, and unpredictable, so that has helped me improve.”

Silva may have reached the highest heights in ONE Championship, but Rahardian knows he is not invincible, as he has seen two men – Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito and Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta – defeat him in the past year.

By looking to those other former World Champions for inspiration, and by developing a sharper skill set than ever, “The Lion” is confident he can claim the biggest victory of his career, and reach a new level in The Home Of Martial Arts.

“The example I took from these two, who have defeated Alex Silva, is their fighting spirit,” he explains.

“As for the rest, I will be myself, be original, practice my own techniques, and have faith in my coach and team.”