Jakarta. With Singapore-based mixed martial arts organization ONE Championship to hold its inaugural event in Surabaya, East Java, on July 29, Indonesian MMA standout Sunoto has expressed his excitement about fighting with Philippine fighter Rocky Batolbatol in a scheduled three-round bantamweight encounter.

Sunoto will compete in one of the four marquee matchups of the event.

Nicknamed "The Terminator" due to his aggressive style of fighting, Sunoto never backs down from a challenge. With a penchant for grappling and picking up wins on the mat, three of Sunoto's six victories have come by way of tapout.

Sunoto admitted that fighting in front of a loud Indonesian crowd was an offer he could not refuse.

"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 hometown," he said in a statement received on Monday (26/06).

With the growth of the sport in Indonesia, Sunoto sees a bright future for the local combat scene.

"My countrymen understand this sport so much because martial arts is in our blood through silat. I think that MMA is growing all over Southeast Asia, obviously also here in Indonesia," he said.

"There are a lot of talents here. ONE Championship is a great platform to expose the local competitors' hidden gifts to the rest of the world. [...] The whole world has already seen the potential of Jakarta. Now, they are going to see a different face of Indonesia. It's a big chance for these other fighters to shine and grab that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of ONE Championship."

The event, ONE: Conquest of Kings, will also see the region's ancient art of silat with its top practitioners Khamid Wichaksana and Muchamad Fauzi displaying their skills.

Since 2012, ONE Championship has staged multiple successful shows in Jakarta as a mainstay of its busy calendar.

In Surabaya's main event, undefeated ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov will take on interim titleholder Adriano Moraes to determine the undisputed king of the division.