Japanese kickboxing sensation Yuki Yoza has officially signed with ONE Championship, marking a significant addition to the promotion's bantamweight division. The former K-1 lightweight champion joins ONE riding an impressive 10-fight win streak, and is confident that he will be in title contention soon enough.
"I'm thrilled to finally be competing in ONE, which has been a long-time dream of mine, and I'm more motivated than ever before. My goal is to win the ONE belt on the world's highest stage together with Takeru and Noiri. I will definitely prove that I'm the strongest in the world, so I hope all the fans are looking forward to watching Yuki Yoza's fights."
It's been a fast turnaround for the 27-year-old — just three days after announcing that he was officially a free agent. Yoza's transition follows a public departure from K-1, where he vacated his lightweight title after a prolonged period without fight offers.
Frustrated by the lack of communication, Yoza returned the belt directly to K-1's offices, stating, "Since last November, I haven’t received any fight offers at all. Even when I contacted them about relinquishing the belt, I got no response, so I went directly to the K-1 office and returned the belt myself."
Yoza looks to bring his flashy Karate style to a competitive bantamweight division featuring talents such as Jonathan Haggerty, Wei Rui, Petchtanong, and Elbrus Osmanov.
To fans of the fighter, this move comes as no surprise, as he has been vocal about joining the ranks of ONE and challenging their fighters on multiple occasions. Additionally, his teammates at Team VASILEUS — former three-division K-1 champion Takeru and current ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing Champion Masaaki Noiri — have been a big part of the promotion's push into the Japanese market.
