JAKARTA – Mixed martial artist Sunoto is ready for a rematch against Myanmar fighter Tial Thang. The Indonesian fighter felt he was in peak performance.
The two fighters previously had a duel at ONE Championship titled ONE: BAD BLOOD at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 11 February. However, the match ended without a winner (no contest).
"I'm free if after this rematch. I'm well prepared and have the power. This is the best preparation period in my career," said Sunoto in an official statement quoted by ANTARA.
The referee decided Sunoto and Tial's duel ended without a winner after the Indonesian fighter received two illegal groin strikes that accidentally landed the forbidden section.
The attack forced referee Olivier Coste to stop the match twice so that Sunoto could receive treatment. After the second attack the referee also gave a yellow card and stopped the game which was less than two minutes from the start.
"If there wasn't that incident, I think it would be a good fight," said Sunoto.
The referee's decision sparked debate on social media. Thousands of comments from netizens from various countries filled the comments column of ONE Championship's social media as well as Sunoto's personal account.
The debate revolved around the question of whether the referee had made the right decision or Tial's attack had landed cleanly on Sunoto's body. Responding to the problem, Sunoto said that the attack was indeed illegal.
"The first one is still OK, it's not too hard. The second one I was really sick and couldn't continue," he said.
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