CHAN Rothana will make his long-awaited return to the cage when he competes at ONE: Destiny Of Champions on Friday.

The talented Kun Khmer practitioner will face unbeaten promotional newcomer Abro Fernandes on the supporting card at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

They were originally scheduled to clash at ONE: Heart Of The Lion in Singapore on November 9 but an injury to the Indonesian postponed their flyweight mixed martial arts bout.

Rothana has been training diligently at Selapak in Phnom Penh, eagerly waiting for the chance to once again represent Cambodia in the world’s largest martial arts organisation.

“I’ve prepared my mind ever since [the] news about the November bout. But for now, I’m just praying for the day that the event comes,” the 32-year-old previously stated.

”I want to show something new to ONE Championship so that they can give me more attention.”

Rothana has not competed in mixed martial arts since April 2017 but has been continuously training in both Cambodia and Myanmar with fellow ONE athlete Phoe Thaw and ONE Warrior Series competitor Emmanuel Onyedikachi.

Now, with trainer Lorenzo Lanzafame by his side, the team has put together a game plan to take advantage of Rothana’s skill set and explosiveness.

“I’m sure it’s going to be spectacular,” Lanzafame said. “I would bet that the first round also will be the last.”

Beaming with confidence, Rothana is sure that his December clash with Fernandes will be one for the history books.

His Indonesian opponent will not be an easy one, however.

Fernandes enters ONE Championship with a perfect record of seven straight wins, six of which come via stoppage.

Despite that, Rothana eager to show the world his progress since his last outing nearly a year and a half ago, and he will enter the contest with the full support of his fellow countrymen and fans.

“They want me to win every fight. It makes me so happy and makes me struggle hard to win every competition,” the Cambodian said.

“The fight is not only for myself, but also for all my fans. I get happy when I see my fans happy.”