Peng Xue Wen is coming off the fastest victory of his career, and now, he will engage in his most important bout yet.
The Chinese wrestling specialist will square off against Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian (9-1) in the co-main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES. The bout will take place in opponent’s hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday, 22 September.
“As soon as I got the news that I could compete in Jakarta, I got excited,” the 22-year-old from Zhongshan says. “I am ready!”
In July, Peng impressed with a flawless performance at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS in Guangzhou, China.
Despite his takedown credentials, it was the power in his fists that paved his way to victory.
He clashed with two-time SEA Games boxing bronze medalist Eddey “The Clown” Kalai, but Peng beat him at his own game that night. A crushing right hand dropped the Malaysian, and a few follow-up punches gave the Zhongshan resident the win in 57 seconds.
“It was not bad,” Peng offers, humbly. “I have been working on my skills all the time. I want to be a great mixed martial artist.”
His upcoming bout at the Jakarta Convention Center will be a step up in competition, and an intriguing clash of grappling styles.
Peng is known as a Chinese national Greco-Roman wrestling champion, while Rahardian is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who has made a name for himself with his submission skills.
The 31-year-old Bali MMA product has four rear-naked choke victories to date in ONE Championship, and he can cause trouble for any adversary when the bout goes to the ground.
Peng is fully aware of his foe’s strengths, but he is still confident he can get the job done, and be the first man to defeat “The Lion” in his homeland.
“He is a great fighter. He is a jiu-jitsu player, but I don’t think it’s difficult to beat him,” the Chinese athlete explains.
“The biggest threat is that his jiu-jitsu is probably better than mine, and his experience is more abundant than mine, but that doesn’t matter.”
Given his many years on the wrestling mats, and his recent focus on adding crisp boxing to his repertoire, Peng believes he can find success on the feet, as illustrated in his most recent performance.
Also, he firmly believes he is more well-rounded than his Indonesian rival, and he will use his newfound talents to look for another knockout.
“I will try to end the bout standing. My strategy is to KO him,” he says.
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