Adrian Mattheis Says New Opponent Will Not Change His Plan – All-Out Attack

Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis will have to adapt to a new opponent at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY, but he still expects to score a finish.

Next Friday, 12 July, the Indonesian hero will now face Li Zhe in a strawweight contest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Chinese athlete got the call to step up to the main ONE Championship roster after he emerged as one of ONE Hero Series’ brightest stars in the first half of this year thanks to three victories via submission.

However, that does not faze Mattheis. He was prepared to face a strong grappler, so he believes he will only need to make some small adjustments to his strategy to come out on top in the Axiata Arena.

“Coincidentally, Li Zhe is good with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so I will not change my entire game plan – I will only tweak it a bit with more takedown moves.

“I am only aware that he has thrived in ONE Hero Series, but this is his debut in a ONE Championship event. I saw his last bout, so this led my team to modify my game plan for Malaysia.”

“If I am able, I want to finish in the second round. Since this is a new opponent, I want to see what he does in the opening stanza, and I use that time to find openings.”

It is no surprise the “Papua Badboy” is confident he can get another knockout or submission because he is his division’s most prolific finisher with seven in The Home Of Martial Arts – two more than World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

However, he says that he has learned not to focus too much on landing a decisive blow above everything else in a contest.

As he has matured as an athlete, Mattheis explains how he has learned to temper his attacks until he is sure he has the best chance of ending a match.

“If my opponents provide me [the opportunity to] finish, I will take them down,” he adds

“I do not plan to finish my bouts quickly, as I will only finish when I spot a chance. We execute our original game plan, but I also have to be fast to spot any opportunities to finish. If I have a chance, I will not miss it.”

The 26-year-old from Jakarta also knows from experience that he cannot go for broke when he comes up against an opponent as tough as Li.

The ONE Strawweight Indonesia Tournament Champion recognizes that he can put himself in danger if he is too aggressive. However, he has faith that the blood that flows through his veins means he has what it takes to defeat any opponent – by decision or stoppage – no matter how tough they are.

“But here is the thing – Indonesians won the War Of Independence, and we got our freedom with only sharpened bamboo. It means that Indonesians have more courage.

“I am saying this with my utmost confidence, we are at the same level as the top players [in ONE from other countries]. Indonesia has great athletes, and we are capable of displaying great performances.

“For this duel, I will go all-out into battle. I won’t just grapple and take my time in the ring. I will attack, attack, and keep attacking.”