Tonight will mark an important milestone for Indonesia as their top MMA fighter Fransino Tirta makes his ONE Fighting Championship debut. MMA Insider catches him for a chat before he faces Sami Amin in the cage.
Who: Fransino Tirta, 32, is making a comeback to the cage after a hiatus of three years. The top Indonesian mixed martial arts (MMA) prospect has an unblemished 15-0-1 record since he made his professional MMA debut in 2003. Tirta is the second Indonesian homegrown Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt with a background of Japanese Jiu-jitsu, grappling, wrestling, boxing, Sanshou and Combat Sambo. Not concerned about ‘cage rust’, the undefeated featherweight is eager to show the superior quality of Indonesian MMA.
Q: This is your first time in the ONE FC cage, how do you feel about that?
A: I am very excited of course! ONE FC is the best MMA organization in Asia and I would like to use this chance to show the world what I’m capable of.
Q: It’s been some time since you’ve competed in MMA, do you have any concerns about “ring-rust”?
A: No, I am not worried. Even though I have not competed for a while, I have been training and sparring, keeping myself fight-ready.
Q: How has training been?
A: Training has been good! I’ve been training under my coaches Niko Han, Norman, Vicky, Linson and Khru Stephane, as well as training with my students.
Q: What’s the game plan for your fight?
A: The game plan is to dominate my opponent in all elements.
Q: You have a black belt in BJJ and experience in professional boxing and also Sanda, do you think you are fully equipped to handle anything that happens in the cage?
A: I have trained to put myself in the worst position and I know what to do to weather any storm.
Q: How badly do you want to prove that you deserve a title shot in ONE FC?
A: I am not in a rush for a title shot. I know I have to achieve a few wins to earn it.
Q: The title belt is being held by the very imposing Bibiano Fernandes right now, is that of any concern to you?
A: He’s the champion in my division; of course he got my attention.
Q: How do you feel about representing Indonesia and fighting on a world stage like ONE FC?
A: I am very proud to represent Indonesia on the ONE FC stage. I want the world to see that Indonesia has a truly world-class MMA fighter.