Indonesian wrestler Eko Roni Saputra had nothing but good things to say about his former opponent Danny “The King” Kingad.
Saputra was dominated from the get-go, resulting in a convincing unanimous decision win for Kingad in their three-round flyweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II last Saturday, 25 February, inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
It was a tough loss to swallow for the Evolve MMA star, but nonetheless he’s keeping his head up as he knows that he lost to a quality opponent.
Expectations were high for Saputra, as he came into this match winning his last seven fights via first-round finishes. But he quickly found out the level that Kingad was on when he got taken down seconds into the bout – foreshadowing what would happen the entire fight.
Saputra almost got finished in the second round but managed to tough it out, however, he just didn’t have answers to respond to Kingad’s brilliant attacks.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Saputra was still grateful for the opportunity.
“This is the best experience in MMA because if I don’t try to [compete] at a higher level, I won’t know where my ability is and what my weaknesses are,” Saputra said.
“I got to work harder to be better. Thank you and respect to you, Danny Kingad. Together we fought and gave the best show.”
Kingad appreciated the kind words.
“You’re the best Eko Roni Saputra,” the Filipino responded. “All respect to you and your team.”
With the match behind them, the two will now go their separate ways as “The King” looks to scale the division and get another shot at the ONE Flyweight World Title while Saputra licks his wounds.
Despite the setback, Saputra is confident that he can bounce back from this match. “I will come back stronger,” Saputra said.