Flyweight, Rei Tsuruya Vs. Ronal Siahaan
Tale of the Tape
Chiba, Japan
20-years-old
5’3″
6-0
Seven-fight win streak
Combined opponents’ record: 46-24-3
Bogor, Indonesia
26-years-old
5’7″
7-0
Seven-fight win streak
Combined opponents’ record: 28-18
Pros and Cons
Rei Tsuruya
Pros
- Good wrestling/judo
- Excellent ground and pound
- Smooth grappling
- Strong positional grappling
- Scrambles well
- Submission threat
- Quick hands
- Good activity
- Aggressive
Cons
- Lacks head movement
- Hands low at times
- Shoots from too far out at times
Ronal Siahaan
Pros
- Fast
- Good ground and pound
- Dangerous knee
- Fast starter
- Good clinchwork
- Scrambles well
- Covers distance quickly
- Good straight punches
Cons
- TDD needs work
- Slows as the fight goes on
Prediction: Siahaan is pretty good for coming out of Indonesia. Not sure of his level because his level of competition is subpar. Rei hasn’t fought much better competition but it’s still better.
What’s so impressive with Tsuruya is he’s only 20 and beating guys twice his age with much more experience. My only worry with the young man is his stand-up. Not that it’s bad but he just hasn’t had to use it. His takedowns come so quickly and if he doesn’t get it down on the initial shot he will pressure against the cage until it’s grounded.
Siahaan will test him on the feet but I don’t think he will even get the chance. I’m pretty sure Rei is going to wrestle as soon as the fight starts. His wrestling is good enough and his grappling is on another level. I am interested to see how Siahaan does against a higher-level guy but it’s going to be too much too soon.
