ONE Championship's Sunoto bringing the heat to Cambodian opponent in adopted hometown of Jakarta

After notching a first-round stoppage victory over Cambodia’s Chan Heng last January, “The Terminator” Sunoto seeks to continue his winning ways inside the ONE Championship cage.

Sunoto aims to make it two in a row in his 2017 campaign as squares off on Sep 16 with another Cambodian journeyman, Thai Rithy, on the undercard of ONE: TOTAL VICTORY.

The highly anticipated fight night takes place at the Jakarta Convention Centre in the capital city of Indonesia, Sunoto's adopted hometown.

“Fans can expect an even better me,” Sunoto said. “I grow better every bout, and my last fight taught me a lot of stuff. So this fight is where I will test those new skills and show them to my adopted hometown of Jakarta.”

The 31-year-old featherweight is one of many professional martial arts athletes who has been proudly representing Indonesia.

In recent times, the country has become a hotbed of the sport and has produced top talents that have been making a name for themselves on the global stage.

Raised in the Blora district of the Indonesian province Jawa Tengah, Sunoto was passionate about the martial arts ever since he was a child.

Sunoto practiced many forms of martial arts when he was younger, such as Taekwondo, Wushu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Sunoto later became the WKF Indonesian Champion, which brought him from his small hometown to the nation’s capital.

“I have been doing martial arts since I was a little kid, but never got exposed to professional martial arts competition until around 2011-2012,” he shared. “My current manager, Adri Kumara, and his team at that time brought me to Jakarta and kickstarted my professional career.”

Known by the moniker “The Terminator” due to his aggressive style of fighting, Sunoto is now considered one of the most exceptional fighters of the fledgling martial arts circuit in Indonesia.
 
With a penchant for grappling and picking up wins on the mat, three of Sunoto’s six victories have come by way of tap-out.
 
Sunoto admitted that competing in front of a loud Indonesian crowd was an offer that he could not refuse.
 
“This will be my fourth ONE Championship outing in Jakarta. I have a 6-3 standing as a pro, but my record is 5-0 when fighting in Indonesia. I do believe that the Indonesian crowd gives me extra power and motivation when it comes to fighting in front of my countrymen,” he stated.
 
Sunoto will bring the action to Thai Rithy this coming weekend at ONE: TOTAL VICTORY, and after he gets his hand raised in triumph, he hopes to compete three more times and become a title contender.
 
“My goal is to be a champion and inspire people. I know a lot of positives can come from martial arts, and I want to inspire people to do it. That is why I keep doing what I do. I hope to bring my family prosperity too,” he ended.