Exclusive: Roshan Mainam looking for another finish at ONE: Reign of Dynasties

Roshan Mainam is all set to return to the ONE Championship arena on October 9, 2020, at ONE: Reign of Dynasties. The Indian MMA star will be locking horns with China’s Liu Peng Shuai at the event and will be looking to build on the momentum that he gained with his ONE Championship debut back in November.

In fact, Roshan has been waiting for the clouds to clear for nearly a year and is excited that he is finally getting his chance to fight and that too, in the first fight card in Singapore after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Roshan Mainam: I’m so excited that I’m getting the opportunity to fight in the first event back in Singapore itself. It’s been almost a year since my debut and I’m very excited and will be giving my best in the fight.

Over the past year, the fighter from Manipur has been busy polishing his skills and though the lockdown had an impact on his grappling training, he utilized the time to work on his striking skills.

Roshan Mainam: We have been focusing on striking ever since the lockdown restrictions were eased. I have good confidence in striking due to the same.

Combining that with the extensive wrestling background that Roshan has, he is likely to pull off another well-rounded performance this time around. Standing across Roshan this time around will be China’s Liu Peng Shuai. The Chinese MMA star has been a mainstay in ONE Championship for a long time now having made his ONE Championship debut back in 2016.

He has three wins in ONE Championship and has a professional record of 6-4 to his name having secured a submission win in his last fight against Elipitua Siregar at ONE Championship.

While Liu will indeed be a tough challenge, Roshan feels confident and is planning to secure another finish.

Roshan Mainam: My opponent has fought in ONE Championship even before my debut and he has three wins in the promotion. We have seen his fight videos and we think has he has good striking and ground skills. We have focussed a lot on improving my striking as well as I mentioned earlier and will be looking to make use. I’m very confident about the striking and ground game but I will have to adapt based on the fight situation. The plan will be to finish the fight either in striking or in the ground.

In the larger scope of things, Roshan hopes to continue his journey in making a huge difference for Indian MMA on the global stage. He noted that he is also happy about the new generation of fighters that are coming up from the nation.

Roshan Mainam: There are a lot of people who are now interested in MMA. A good new generation is coming forward in MMA in India. I’m happy about it and as far as my journey is concerned, I’m trying to change the perception that people have about Indian MMA Fighters and possibly help in taking Indian MMA to the next phase. I’m working hard for making it happen and I’m sure that I will be able to do it soon.

When concluding, he urged the upcoming fighters to work hard with confidence and focus on representing the nation.

Roshan Mainam: I want to convey to the upcoming fighters that everyone should work hard with confidence, focus on representing our nation. We can make India proud in front of the world with our skills.

ONE: Reign of Dynasties featuring Roshan Mainam and Rahul K Raju will be happening on Friday, October 9, 2020, and will be live in India on Hotstar and Star Sports Select at 6:00 PM IST. You can check out the complete coverage of the event including an exclusive interview with Rahul K Raju on our website and our Mobile Application which is available on both the App Store and the PlayStore. 

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