“We’ll work together to improve” - Eko Roni Saputra backs good friend Ritu Phogat to bounce back after loss

Eko Roni Saputra was among the thousands of fans who witnessed the surprising conclusion to the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Finals.

The final match of the tournament saw Eko Roni Saputra’s Evolve teammate, Indian wrestling phenom Ritu ‘The Indian Tigress’ Phogat, tapping out to Muay Thai sensation Stamp Fairtex in the second round of their encounter.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Eko Roni Saptura expressed his shock at the result of the match:

“I think her performance was good, but the result was unexpected. Nobody would have thought that she lost via an armbar. If anything, a loss through striking exchange would have made more sense given Stamp background. I am surprised to be honest, but when Stamp executed the triangle choke, I already got a feeling that [Stamp will win].”

Eko Roni Saputra, who hails from Indonesia, developed a friendship with ‘The Indian Tigress’ as they both took a shot at MMA glory by leaving their respective countries to train at Evolve MMA in Singapore.

It certainly helped that they both have a strong wrestling background before their transition to mixed martial arts.

Upon watching the match, Eko Roni Saputra did not waste time in making sure that her friend was doing fine:

“I contacted her right away, trying my best to console her.” He added, “It must be devastating because she was a step closer to the belt but this is not the end. Ritu has been making a stellar improvement, and I believe she knows what she needs to work on. We’ll work together to improve ourselves particularly on striking because we were both wrestlers.”

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Eko Roni Saputra takes lessons from Phogat’s loss

Ritu Phogat was among the favorites to win the tournament and for good reason. Her grappling skills were a natural kryptonite to a known striker like Stamp. However, Eko Roni Saputra believes that it also may have led to her downfall:

“I think we all knew Ritu’s gameplan. She wanted to bring the fight to the ground, which was a good plan, similar to what I had when I faced Ramon Gonzales. But I guess we need to combine more [with striking] and not rely on one [specific] strategy only. Stamp knew this and she tried to maintain distance.

“Take Khabib [Nurmagomedov] for example, everybody knows he’s going to take his opponents down to find a finish from there. But he always tries to strike first and patiently wait for an opening.”

Phogat’s loss will not be in vain though, as it gave Eko Roni Saputra an even greater desire to improve in all aspects of his game:

“If anything, this taught us another lesson that MMA is full of unpredictability and we can’t be a one tricky pony. I may be good at wrestling, but my BJJ may not be that good. When I first sparred in BJJ, I have been submitted a lot because I only rely on power. And I am blessed to have partners from various disciplines like Alex Silva who is excellent at submitting people.”