Indonesia has always been a hotbed for martial arts in Southeast Asia, and the country is starting to produce some excellent athletes.
After all, ONE Championship has regularly held blockbuster shows in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta ever since the organization’s second-ever card in 2012.
What’s more, world-class gyms the likes of Jakarta Muay Thai & MMA and Bali MMA have emerged, producing top talents that have been making a name for themselves on the global stage.
Seven outstanding Indonesian homegrown talents will don the country’s colors on the undercard of ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE on 20 January at the iconic Jakarta Convention Center.
Here are the seven elite Indonesian martial artists that fans absolutely have to know about at ONE Championship’s upcoming live event.
Stefer Rahardian
One of the hottest talents ever produced in Indonesia, Stefer Rahardian overcame a life filled with hardship growing up.
However, his life change when he accompanied a friend to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class in 2008 just to see what it was about.
Rahardian has been hooked on the “gentle art” ever since, winning multiple grappling tournaments.
An unfortunate leg injury in 2013 delayed his ONE debut until 2016, but as soon as he stepped inside the cage, he demolished the competition.
Now coming off a marquee first-round submission victory over Sim Bunsrun, the 31-year-old Jakarta native sports a flawless 7-0 professional record.
Rahardian, the ONE Jakarta Flyweight Tournament Champion 2016, is eagerly anticipating his next challenge at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE against Pakistani athlete Muhammad “The Spider” Imran.
Sunoto
Sunoto is no stranger to martial arts success. While growing up in Central Java, he tried his hand, and foot, at many different disciplines — including taekwondo, wushu, and traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu. Eventually, he would become the WKF Indonesian Champion.
Sunoto is an experienced student of many disciplines, and after heeding the call of the cage, he decided to see how his skills compared against the best martial artists in the world.
The 32-year-old Indonesian stalwart has since made his mark in ONE Championship with an impressive 6-3 record.
In his most recent bout, he scored a first-round TKO over Cambodia’s Chang Heng. At ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, he draws another Cambodian in Rin Saroth.
Victorio Senduk
Victorio “Indra” Senduk of Bandung, Indonesia is an unbeaten featherweight contender and former IBC Featherweight Champion.
With a background in wushu and kickboxing, Senduk is a hard-hitting striker with an aggressive style.
Representing Gorilla Fight Club, Senduk is set to return to the ONE Championship cage against compatriot Yohan Mulia Legowo.
Yohan Mulia Legowo
Yohan Mulia Legowo from Solo, Indonesia, has been competing as a martial arts professional for over 15 years.
Known by the moniker “The Iceman,” Legowo has a professional standing of 8-6, with five submissions and three knockouts.
Moreover, Legowo is known to be a well-rounded combatant, incorporating various martial arts techniques including wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and Kung Fu in his offensive arsenal.
Legowo’s highly-regarded skillset will be put on display when he battles his countryman Victorio Senduk at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE.
Riski Umar
At just 25 years old, it is apparent that Riski Umar has a bright and long future in the cage as the Ternate, Indonesia-bred flyweight, who goes by the nickname “King Kong,” had a fairly normal upbringing, but he was always fascinated with the martial arts.
Umar’s fascination led to his desire to master all disciplines, and one day, enter the ONE Championship cage.
Umar initially started with Taekwondo and Silat during his childhood. From there, he went to Thailand to study Muay Thai, and then relocated to Bali two years ago, where he has since rounded out his overall game at Bali MMA.
Finally, this past September, he made his professional cage debut at ONE: TOTAL VICTORY.
While most rookies have butterflies, it appeared as if “King Kong” had absolutely none. He put his opponent, Adi Nugroho, through a kicking clinic, before earning the stoppage just two minutes into the opening stanza with a pair of knees to the body.
The Bali MMA product will look to repeat his stellar performance at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, when he meets Arnol Batubara.
Arnol Batubara
Arnol Batubara of Bandung, Indonesia, is a ONE Championship flyweight and former Garuda Super Fight Bantamweight Champion.
With a style based on Wushu Sanda, Batubara joins a deep flyweight division, ready to make waves with his exciting technique.
Representing Livre Brotherman and IndoGym, Batubara is set to make his promotional debut against compatriot Riski Umar.
Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol
Female martial artist Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol of Jakarta, Indonesia, is an Indonesian national Wushu champion who has trained in various striking disciplines such as kickboxing and Wushu.
The 29-year-old Indonesian martial artist made her ONE Championship debut against Singapore’s Tiffany Teo at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS in February 2017, joining a growing list of elite female martial artists in Asia.
Lumbangaol will look to emerge triumphant in her next appearance inside the ONE Championship cage, when she takes on the Malaysia’s Audreylaura Boniface.
Fight Game Asia 