'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwb/2gAIAQEAAAAAh0//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECEAAAAD//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAgEAACAQMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABBEFBgcTQVGB/9oACAEBAAE/ANN4/wBPvNtC/gVJuqMuGkYjtABy4Hgn0an4hnu5pLlbyNBMxkCsckZ+V//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAEf/aAAgBAgEBPwAMv//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAQID/9oACAEDAQE/ANrqUf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Elipitua Siregar recorded his second loss in ONE Championship at the hands of Senzo Ikeda. Looking back at the match, the 25-year-old Indonesian fighter said that he was disappointed in himself for letting his guard down and allowing knockout opportunities to pass by.
The fight against Siregar in ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters was initially against Robin Catalan from the Philippines. Another Filipino, Jeremy Miado, was also scratched from the fight card after contracting COVID-19, and he was supposed to fight Senzo Ikeda.
Due to Ikeda and Siregar's supposed opponents contracting COVID-19, it was just logical to put both strawweight fighters inside the cage.
Siregar scratched his initial game plan against Catalan and had to come up with a strategy to defeat the 39-year-old Japanese fighter in just less than 48 hours.
As the fight pushed through, things went well for Siregar, landing blows and managing his opponent's takedown attempts in the first two rounds. However, in the last round, Ikeda saw an opening and maximized. The Japanese star landed body shots on Siregar to walk away with the knockout victory, and the 25-year-old brought up his mistakes in the bout.
"I feel like the fight was very exciting and competitive. In the first two rounds, I was having success and things were going according to plan. Ikeda showed that he has a lot of experience and fought a smart fight," said Siregar to Sportskeeda. "Unfortunately, I made some mistakes at the end and he was able to capitalize and get the win. I am not discouraged and look forward to having another chance to compete in the One Championship cage."
Siregar's professional record fell to 4-2 and it was the first time he got knocked out inside the ONE Championship circle. Meanwhile, Ikeda improved to a 13-6-1 record and took home the $50,000 fighter bonus.
Elipitua Siregar is grateful for Indonesia's support in his recent ONE Championship match
With the hopes of securing a win since the pandemic started, Siregar was not able to bring home the bacon. However, he is thankful for all the support he was given. The Indonesian fighter vowed to bounce back after the tough loss.
"I feel very lucky to have such strong support from my country, family & friends. Also, I want to thank my coaches and teammates at Bali MMA for their support and believing in me that I can become a champion. I hope to show everyone that I will learn and grow from this experience."
