Elipitua “The Magician” Siregar won’t have any problems standing toe-to-toe with established striker Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS this Friday, January 14, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.  

The Indonesian comes in having won four of his last five victories in ONE via rear-naked choke, and many people – Catalan included – expect him to utilize his grappling advantage.  

But Siregar doesn’t mind changing his strategy because he’s confident that training with some of Indonesia’s best strikers prepared him for the Philippine National Muay Thai champion.   

“I have a sparring partner who is in a heavier division, so I can chase and improve my performance even more,” Siregar shared.  

“If it is said that Robin’s Muay Thai skills are good, we have better ones at Bali MMA. I usually spar with [ONE bantamweight] Muhammad Aiman for now, [as well as local fighters such as] Lamhot Buha and Prawira, all in a division above mine. They also have good Muay Thai skills. 

“Sparring with Aiman is difficult due to his tall posture [and] length. But it’s exactly what I need to make me accustomed to long-range strikers.” 

Aside from his utmost preparation, Siregar will come in with extra motivation because Robin and his brother, Rene “The Challenger” Catalan, dealt heavy losses to Indonesian competitors for years. 

The Catalans scored big wins over some of his seniors in Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis and Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian, and he wants to break the downward spiral in this match. 

“I will have to dominate and get a clear win to show that both of my seniors lost not because they were not skillful, but because of other things, probably,” he told ONEFC.com.  

“Hopefully, Stefer, my senior [at Bali MMA], will show me some clues or a better game plan to face Catalan, so I can win. I really expect to partner with Stefer, especially as we have been training together, and I hope this partnership will be smooth, and I can win against Robin. 

“[I want to win] as soon as possible, in the first round.” 

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5 MMA Fights We Want To See In 2022   

5 Muay Thai And Kickboxing Fights We’d Love To See In 2022 


Source: Manila Bulletin (https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/11/elipitua-siregar-doesnt-mind-trading-blows-with-robin-catalan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=elipitua-siregar-doesnt-mind-trading-blows-with-robin-catalan)