It has been a long time coming, and at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in Manila, Philippines, “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman will have his sight set on a sixth career win.

Aiman last competed in November 2018, but the Negeri Sembilan athlete knows that the time away from competition gave him a chance to pivot his attention to training.

As he has used his time wisely, the former MIMMA Featherweight Champion is certain he will dazzle in his return in the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, 2 August against Indonesia’s “The Terminator” Sunoto.

“Sunoto has nothing that can surprise me or nothing that can take me out,” Aiman said confidently. “It’s been the longest period in my career where I haven’t fought, but the wait has paid off.”

“Right now, my mind is focused on what is in front of me. And that is Sunoto,” Aiman said. “There’s no time to think about anything else in this past couple of weeks except for the person standing in front of me in Manila.”

The 24-year-old Malaysian athlete has his work cut out for him, but he is ready to surprise his Indonesian adversary when they lock horns inside the Circle.

If there is anything to take back from some of his finest victories in ONE Championship, it’s Aiman’s ability to close the match strongly.

After all, the innovative martial artist is familiar with having to rise through adversity - something he has always brought with him whenever he competes.

“I’ve been here for four years now, and time just passes very quickly when you’re just training hard every day,” the Bali MMA standout said.

“I’ve grown a lot from my first few matches, and with every fight, you learn a bit more,” he added. “I think the fans watching can expect a surprise from me next month.”

“They love their martial arts there, so it’ll be a memorable encounter.”

Aiman knows the crowd in Manila loves a good battle between two warriors. Expect the bantamweight talent to dazzle the passionate martial arts fans in his bout against Sunoto on 2 August at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES.