MANILA, Philippines – Indonesian mixed martial artist Sunoto may have been booked for a fight Saturday night, but his cross hair remains aimed at Team Lakay's Edward Kelly.
"I want a rematch," Sunoto said. "My fight against him is my only loss in 2016. I would like to redeem myself by facing him again."
The two fighters locked horns last December in Manila for ONE Championship's "Age of Domination." The Filipino – aptly dubbed as "The Ferocious" – unleashed a flurry of blows on the Jakarta native in the third canto, forcing the referee to stop the match.
“I was close to finishing Edward Kelly. I believe that I was winning on the judges’ scorecards as well. It was an unfortunate ending for me,” Sunoto said
“I have all the respect in the world for Edward. He's a good man and a good fighter, but I believe that I have a big shot at winning if there will be a rematch in the future,” he added.
But Sunoto still has to take care of Chan Heng, kickboxer from Cambodia in "Quest of Power" at his hometown's Jakarta Convention Center.
"I really want to win this fight," Sunoto said. "For this fight, I am leaving everything, including my coaching job to focus on preparing myself for the fight."
But still, the fighter out of Arena MMA bares his priority is to settle his score against Kelly. The former touts a 3-3 record in ONE, while the latter is 4-3.
"I would like to redeem myself by facing Kelly again," Sunoto said.
The Indonesian joins two Filipinos in Rene Catalan and the still winless Vaughn Donayre in the Saturday card.