Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Watch, Elipitua Siregar's Motivation Doubles Ahead Of Duel Against Senzo Ikeda In ONE Championship

Elipitua Siregar (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The performance of Indonesian fighter Elipitua Siregar at ONE Championship in Singapore today is sure to be special. Free fighting legend (MMA) Khabib Nurmagomedov will watch the fight.

Quoted from Antara, Friday, January 14, in the match titled ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, Elipitua Siregar will face a fighter from Japan, Senzo Ikeda, who is a former Pancrase belt holder.

The potential opponent of the fighter nicknamed "The Magician" has changed from the previous fighter from the Philippines, Robin Catalan. This replacement of potential opponents occurred due to being hampered by the COVID-19 health protocol.

With the presence of Khabib Nurmagomedov for the first time in Singapore, Elipitua admitted that he would not miss the opportunity to meet his idol. Moreover, these two fighters have similar martial arts backgrounds. Elipitua is a former wrestler, while Khabib was initially involved in the sport of sambo before jumping into MMA.

“Want to take a picture with him, that's for sure. In a way, he can be said to be an idol too, not only for me, but for many other wrestlers. Even Indonesian MMA fighters are also clearly happy to see the game," said Elipitua.

The MMA legend will be here to serve as a cornerman for Saygid Izagakhmaev, Khabib's protégé from Dagestan who made his ONE Championship debut against James Nakashima.

Competing in front of the idol, obviously became a separate motivation for Elipitua. Moreover, his new opponent should not be underestimated. Senzo Ikeda was originally scheduled to meet Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado in one of the matches on the main card. However, the Filipino fighter was also unable to compete for the same reason.

Senzo Ikeda has been in the professional MMA world for the past decade. He has played in 17 matches with a score of 11 wins. His flying hours are three times higher than Elipitua Siregar, who has only played five matches with four wins.

In addition, the match against Senzo Ikeda is also certain to be special. If he manages to deliver a stunning action, then Elipitua Siregar can take home a bonus worth 50 thousand US dollars (IDR 717 million). This prize is awarded to the fighter who performs the best in their fight, both the winner and the loser.

If their match is deemed to be at the highest level, then a bonus will be awarded to both.

This has been the case since ONE: WINTER WARRIORS in December 2021. At that time, Dagi Arslanaliev and Timofey Nastyukhin got the same bonus even though it was Dagi who came out as the winner.

This bonus is given in addition to the match pay and win bonus. This means that the total amount of pay that athletes receive can be much higher.

In every ONE Championship event, a minimum of one bout will be awarded a bonus 'Fight Of The Night.' Meanwhile, for the maximum number, there will be five fights that get the title.