Edilah Johany preparing to outstrike her opponent at ONE Warrior Series 8

The Ewako MMA athlete is thankful for the opportunity to go head-to-head with Japan’s Yuko Suzuki in a three-round atomweight mixed martial arts duel at Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series 8: Japan Vs. The World on Saturday, 5 October.

“I'm excited to be given the chance to fight on ONE Warrior Series again because my goal is to stay active,” the 26-year-old offered ahead of her showdown in Tokyo, Japan.

“I’ve trained hard these past two months while also using the time wisely to recover from an injury I carried from the previous fight.”

“I thought I would rest a bit longer, but once the offer to fight in Tokyo arrived, I did not think twice. I’m hungry and eager to be back.”

Edilah’s hunger could mean trouble for any athlete standing in the opposite corner.

However, she refuses to get over-confident, especially after the loss she suffered against Ji Yeon Seo in OWS 7 in June this year.

“I learned a lot from my last defeat. Now, I’m starting to realize that if one technique doesn’t work, I must change it. Mental toughness is very important too. At present I’m not scared, whoever my opponent is,” she said.

“I need to be more confident, especially with my striking game. I’m going to listen to my cornerman wisely this time around.”

Striking could be the key to victory for the Malaysian against an athlete like Suzuki, who flourishes on the ground.

And she plans to do just that en route to a third-career victory, which would put her one step closer toward her dream of competing on a ONE Championship main card.

“My strategy is to outstrike my opponent and play my game,” Edilah pointed out.

“I’m not going to allow her to play her game. I want to tire her down and plan to keep the contest as a striking battle.”

Catch Edilah trade strikes with Suzuki on the ONE Super App live and for free.

A week after, ONE Championship hosts ONE: CENTURY, the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. No organization in history has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events on the same day.

The Home Of Martial Arts breaks new ground as it brings multiple World Title bouts, a trio of World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches to the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 13 October.