Egi Rozten Earns First-Round Highlight-Reel Knockout In Indonesia
A huge overhand right hand gave Indonesian strawweight Egi Rozten a highlight-reel victory on home soil at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM on Saturday, 17 November.
However, the 30-year-old Bandung, Indonesia native had to overcome some adversity before landing his bout-ending punch at the Stadium Istora in Jakarta.
Rozten’s opponent, Malaysia’s Eddey “The Clown” Kalai, was determined to claim the first win of his ONE Championship career, and for a while, it looked like he might.
The 36-year-old from Sabah came flying out from his corner when the opening bell rang, and shocked the local hero with an immediate takedown.
Kalai’s previous appearances have seen him lean heavily on his striking, but he had a different game plan for Rozten. He used the element of surprise to get the Indonesian to the mat, where he locked up a guillotine choke.
The local favorite maintained his composure, however, and was eventually able to escape as the bout returned to the feet.
After another scramble on the canvas, Rozten picked his shot and connected with a massive overhand right, which landed directly on Kalai’s left temple and caused him to crumple to the canvas.
That one punch was enough to convince referee Yuji Shimada that no further action was needed.
He stepped in to call off the contest at the 3:15 mark of round one, giving the fan favorite a hugely popular win after a wild encounter.
The victory extended Rozten’s record to 5-1 and put him on a two-bout winning streak after his TKO finish of Riski Umar at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES in September.
Now all eyes will be on the exciting Indonesian as he bids to make it three wins in a row when he returns to action in 2019.
