Sunoto Has Great Motivation To Face Myanmar Fighter Tial Thang

Indonesian fighter Sunoto (ONE CHAMPIONSHIP)

JAKARTA – Indonesian fighter Sunoto has even more motivation when he returns to mixed martial arts (MMA) this month. He will put all his strength into achieving glory after a two-year absence.

The Terminator is scheduled to fight on February 11 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. He will meet his opponent from Myanmar, Tial Thang, at the event titled ONE: BAD BLOOD.

“I want to motivate my students through this performance. I want them to understand that time spent training is not wasted," he said.

The duel between Thang and The Terminator was scheduled for the middle of last year. However, it was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both athletes are currently in need of a win to push their way to the top of the bantamweight division. A win could pave their way to the top five.

Sunoto is one of the most experienced MMA athletes from Indonesia since starting his career on the global stage of ONE Championship in 2015. He recorded 10 wins or the most among other fighters in Indonesia.

Sunoto said that apart from wanting to motivate his students, this victory was important for him financially.

“I need this win to develop MMA in my area. In Central Java Province, this sport is not as big as the others, so I need this win to get support," he said.

Tial Thang enters this fight with great hype as the protege of ONE superstar Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang. The Myanmar icon took Tial Thang under his tutelage and has been a mentor at Sanford MMA, USA.

This fact made Sunoto even more motivated. He really wants to prove that he is able to compete against athletes from various elite gyms in the world.

“What motivates me the most is the fact that he trains in the US alongside some of the biggest names in MMA. I think a win will skyrocket my name. I want to prove that I can beat someone from a famous gym,” said Sunoto.

Tial Thang's background in wrestling is definitely his biggest asset at ONE by far. However, Sunoto has seen it all as he goes up against some of the biggest names in his division.

Especially at his age, he realizes that time is increasingly not on his competitive career. For that, he wanted to use whatever opportunity was left to make an impression on the fans.

"I'm not that young anymore, but I still compete at the highest level. I want to pull the trigger,” said Sunoto.

Tial Thang is on an important mission to get back on track to victory. The 28-year-old fighter had three consecutive wins in ONE Championship, including over Paul Lumihi, before suffering his first loss to Song Min Jong in mid-2021.

He is also hailed as one of the biggest MMA stars from Myanmar after Aung La N Sang. Prior to his foray into professional MMA, he was the country's wrestling champion with 500 wins.