[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"appSettings":3,"article-k-1-genki-2026-brazilian-fighters-triumph-in-three-title-fights-lukas-achterberg-mona-kimura-and-rui-okubo-impress":57,"latestArticles-k-1-genki-2026-brazilian-fighters-triumph-in-three-title-fights-lukas-achterberg-mona-kimura-and-rui-okubo-impress":181},{"header":4,"footer":34},{"data":5},{"attributes":6},{"shop_display":7,"shop_new_window":8,"shop_external_url":9,"support_us_display":8,"support_us_new_window":8,"support_us_external_url":10,"topics":11,"showInfoBar":7,"infoBar":33},false,true,null,"https://www.patreon.com/beyondkick",{"data":12},[13,18,23,28],{"id":14,"attributes":15},"2",{"name":16,"slug":17},"GLORY Kickboxing","glory-kickboxing",{"id":19,"attributes":20},"3",{"name":21,"slug":22},"K-1 Japan Group","k-1-japan-group",{"id":24,"attributes":25},"1",{"name":26,"slug":27},"RISE","rise",{"id":29,"attributes":30},"4",{"name":31,"slug":32},"ONE Championship","one-championship"," We are currently experiencing issues with the display of rankings and are actively working to resolve them. (Aug 1, 2024 9pm CEST)",{"data":35},{"attributes":36},{"slogan":37,"social_links":38},"The Home of Kickboxing.",{"networks":39},[40,43,46,49,52,55],{"name":41,"url":42},"twitter","https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick",{"name":44,"url":45},"instagram","https://www.instagram.com/beyondkickboxing",{"name":47,"url":48},"facebook","https://www.facebook.com/BeyondKickboxing",{"name":50,"url":51},"youtube","https://www.youtube.com/c/KickboxingWorldYT",{"name":53,"url":54},"discord","https://discord.gg/bKNuqhj8Me",{"name":56,"url":10},"patreon",{"article":58},{"data":59},{"id":60,"attributes":61},"895",{"slug":62,"title":63,"category":64,"excerpt":65,"content":66,"processedContent":67,"publishedAt":68,"updatedAt":69,"authors":70,"cover":76,"tags":118,"ranking":168,"events":169,"seo":171},"k-1-genki-2026-brazilian-fighters-triumph-in-three-title-fights-lukas-achterberg-mona-kimura-and-rui-okubo-impress","K-1 GENKI 2026: Brazilian Fighters Triumph in Three Title Fights; Lukas Achterberg, Rui Okubo, and Mona Kimura Impress","news","A hat-trick of wins saw all three Brazilians walk away with gold from Tokyo, as Jonas Salsicha defeated Darryl Verdonk, Dengue Silva beat Alfousseynou Kamara and Ariel Machado overcame Claudio Istrate.","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Jonas Salsicha vs. Darryl Verdonk\u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>The rematch between {Jonas Salsicha} and {Darryl Verdonk} was a fight to remember, as the Brazilian defended his title despite a late rally from his Dutch advisory. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>It looked as if it would be another dominant victory for Salsicha, who triumphed in the first round when the two first met in the final of the K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament last November, after the first two rounds saw him brutalise Verdonk and drop him three times.\u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">🔥 Pure fireworks! Jonas Salsicha dominated much of the fight, but Darryl Verdonk pushed him to the limit, coming close to a dramatic turnaround after surviving three knockdowns. In the end, the Brazilian claimed the vacant K-1 Super Welterweight (-70 kg) title.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/k6sbDGJieY\">pic.twitter.com/k6sbDGJieY\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042962392942838125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Summoning every reserve of power he had, Verdonk landed a left and right hook that sent Salsicha to the canvas with only 40 seconds left. As his opponent stood wobbly and the crowd erupted into a rapture of cheers, Verdonk threw everything he had to try and win the fight, but it was not enough to send the fight to an extra round.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>A fantastic win for Salsicha and a brave performance from Verdonk, both men will now be looking ahead to September where they will both feature in the 2026 K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament Opening Round.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Dengue Silva vs. Alfousseynou Kamara \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>K-1’s Middleweight belt returned to Brazil as {Dengue Silva} defended his title against tough Senegalese savate specialist {Alfousseynou Kamara} by unanimous decision. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>A giant for the weight class standing at 6ft 3in, Silva chose to battle Kamara up close rather than stay at range and attempt to strike at distance. The result was a gruelling fight where both men landed hard shots during brutal exchanges, Silva having great success with knees up the middle whereas Kamara landed sickening hooks to the jaw. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dengue Silva has won the vacant K-1 Middleweight (-75 kg) Championship, landing the decisive knockdown in a competitive back-and-forth fight with Alfousseynou Kamara to take a unanimous decision.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/aQb997FLbG\">pic.twitter.com/aQb997FLbG\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042949576471019610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>At the end of the second round one of these exchanges saw Kamara hit the deck after Silva landed a sharp 1-2, but he was up quickly to see out the round. The Final round saw neither man look to give an inch, which ended with a point to the canvas and a brawl to see the end of a fantastic contest. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>With that victory Silva becomes the first man to successfully defend the K-1 Middleweight title, as for Kamara his exciting all action style will surely see him return to the K-1 stage soon enough.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Ariel Machado vs. Claudio Istrate\u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>Controversy continues to surround {Claudio Istrate} in the K-1 ring, but the pantomime villain from Italy could not overcome {Ariel Machado} who defended his Heavyweight title for the first time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Michael Schiavello on commentary told the viewers it was a case of if rather than when Claudio would break the rules, and he got his answer after Istrate threw a right hook after the referee told him to stop halfway through the opening round. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ariel Machado weathered an early onslaught from Claudio Istrate before turning the tide and knocking him out in the second round to defend his K-1 heavyweight title.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/mX10HORbRm\">pic.twitter.com/mX10HORbRm\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042935524340421046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Despite being knocked down Machado gathered his senses and rallied back to punish Istrate in the corner to end the first round. Feeling rejuvenated at the start of the second round, Machado punished the Italian with leg kicks that proved pivotal, as the big man could no longer stand after a series of sustained attacks. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>A sea of applause greeted Machado’s victory, who returns to Brazil with more Heavyweight gold for his mantlepiece.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Lukas Achterberg vs. Fabian Lorito \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>{Lukas Achterberg} repeated the heroics of his K-1 Cruiserweight Tournament win back in February, as the German giant stopped {Fabian Lorito} inside the opening round. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looking calm and composed from the opening bell, Achterberg channelled his inner Semmy Schilt by using his front kicks to control the distance against his Swiss opponent. After tasting a solid right hand from Lorito, the German decided enough was enough and landed a stunning uppercut and left hook to the jaw that ended the night in stunning style. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lukas Achterberg kept his momentum rolling as the new K-1 cruiserweight king, putting Fabian Lorito away in the first round with a left hook knockout.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/hz9E2YAxAd\">pic.twitter.com/hz9E2YAxAd\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042923373076836812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>A move up to the heavyweight division for Achterberg seems inevitable at this point, with the powerful German looking like a real threat to anyone who stands in his way to further K-1 glory. \u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Mona Kimura vs. Eun Ji Choi \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>The K-1 debut of {Mona Kimura} went off without a hitch as she was too strong for {Eun Ji Choi} in their Women’s Flyweight contest. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mona Kimura improved to 4–0, using sharp sidekicks and her left straight to control the fight en route to a unanimous decision against Eun Ji Choi.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Trxuju1k2c\">pic.twitter.com/Trxuju1k2c\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042913676433252782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Staying primarily in her karate stance, Kimura’s balance and mastery of her side kick was too much for Choi to figure out, as she failed to mount any sort of significant attack across three rounds. “The Real-Life Chun Li”, also showed off the power that landed her two knockouts in her previous three bouts, as she bloodied the nose of Choi with a brutal left late into the third round. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Kimura’s popularity on social media and intriguing fighting style means there will be plenty of eyes on K-1 when “The Real-Life Chun Li” steps into the ring again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Takahito Niimi vs. Rui Okubo \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>{Rui Okubo} put his drama on the scales to one side as delivered a superb performance to defeat {Takahito Niimi} over three rounds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> Having youth and size to his advantage, Okubo flowed expertly between attacks to the body and head that forced Niimi to feed on scraps throughout the fight. Niimi’s attacks to the calf were not enough to slow down Okubo, whose vicious knees to the body sapped his opponent’s energy as the fight progressed. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rui Okubo won a hard-fought phonebooth battle against the tough Takahito Niimi, beating him to the punch on the inside to earn a majority decision at featherweight (-57.5 kg).\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Ww0Z3cAd2j\">pic.twitter.com/Ww0Z3cAd2j\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042908176471687399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>The only thing questionable about the fight was one of the judges thinking such a one-sided performance warranted a draw, but that wont matter to Okubo who will look to reinsert himself into the title picture after that win.\u003C/p>","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Jonas Salsicha vs. Darryl Verdonk\u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>The rematch between \u003Cspan data-tag=\"jonas-salsicha\">Jonas Salsicha\u003C/span> and \u003Cspan data-tag=\"darryl-verdonk\">Darryl Verdonk\u003C/span> was a fight to remember, as the Brazilian defended his title despite a late rally from his Dutch advisory. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>It looked as if it would be another dominant victory for Salsicha, who triumphed in the first round when the two first met in the final of the K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament last November, after the first two rounds saw him brutalise Verdonk and drop him three times.\u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">🔥 Pure fireworks! Jonas Salsicha dominated much of the fight, but Darryl Verdonk pushed him to the limit, coming close to a dramatic turnaround after surviving three knockdowns. In the end, the Brazilian claimed the vacant K-1 Super Welterweight (-70 kg) title.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/k6sbDGJieY\">pic.twitter.com/k6sbDGJieY\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042962392942838125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Summoning every reserve of power he had, Verdonk landed a left and right hook that sent Salsicha to the canvas with only 40 seconds left. As his opponent stood wobbly and the crowd erupted into a rapture of cheers, Verdonk threw everything he had to try and win the fight, but it was not enough to send the fight to an extra round.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>A fantastic win for Salsicha and a brave performance from Verdonk, both men will now be looking ahead to September where they will both feature in the 2026 K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament Opening Round.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Dengue Silva vs. Alfousseynou Kamara \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>K-1’s Middleweight belt returned to Brazil as \u003Cspan data-tag=\"dengue-silva\">Dengue Silva\u003C/span> defended his title against tough Senegalese savate specialist \u003Cspan data-tag=\"alfousseynou-kamara\">Alfousseynou Kamara\u003C/span> by unanimous decision. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>A giant for the weight class standing at 6ft 3in, Silva chose to battle Kamara up close rather than stay at range and attempt to strike at distance. The result was a gruelling fight where both men landed hard shots during brutal exchanges, Silva having great success with knees up the middle whereas Kamara landed sickening hooks to the jaw. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dengue Silva has won the vacant K-1 Middleweight (-75 kg) Championship, landing the decisive knockdown in a competitive back-and-forth fight with Alfousseynou Kamara to take a unanimous decision.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/aQb997FLbG\">pic.twitter.com/aQb997FLbG\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042949576471019610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>At the end of the second round one of these exchanges saw Kamara hit the deck after Silva landed a sharp 1-2, but he was up quickly to see out the round. The Final round saw neither man look to give an inch, which ended with a point to the canvas and a brawl to see the end of a fantastic contest. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>With that victory Silva becomes the first man to successfully defend the K-1 Middleweight title, as for Kamara his exciting all action style will surely see him return to the K-1 stage soon enough.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Ariel Machado vs. Claudio Istrate\u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>Controversy continues to surround \u003Cspan data-tag=\"claudio-istrate\">Claudio Istrate\u003C/span> in the K-1 ring, but the pantomime villain from Italy could not overcome \u003Cspan data-tag=\"ariel-machado\">Ariel Machado\u003C/span> who defended his Heavyweight title for the first time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Michael Schiavello on commentary told the viewers it was a case of if rather than when Claudio would break the rules, and he got his answer after Istrate threw a right hook after the referee told him to stop halfway through the opening round. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ariel Machado weathered an early onslaught from Claudio Istrate before turning the tide and knocking him out in the second round to defend his K-1 heavyweight title.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/mX10HORbRm\">pic.twitter.com/mX10HORbRm\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042935524340421046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Despite being knocked down Machado gathered his senses and rallied back to punish Istrate in the corner to end the first round. Feeling rejuvenated at the start of the second round, Machado punished the Italian with leg kicks that proved pivotal, as the big man could no longer stand after a series of sustained attacks. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>A sea of applause greeted Machado’s victory, who returns to Brazil with more Heavyweight gold for his mantlepiece.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Lukas Achterberg vs. Fabian Lorito \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-tag=\"lukas-achterberg\">Lukas Achterberg\u003C/span> repeated the heroics of his K-1 Cruiserweight Tournament win back in February, as the German giant stopped \u003Cspan data-tag=\"fabian-lorito\">Fabian Lorito\u003C/span> inside the opening round. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looking calm and composed from the opening bell, Achterberg channelled his inner Semmy Schilt by using his front kicks to control the distance against his Swiss opponent. After tasting a solid right hand from Lorito, the German decided enough was enough and landed a stunning uppercut and left hook to the jaw that ended the night in stunning style. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lukas Achterberg kept his momentum rolling as the new K-1 cruiserweight king, putting Fabian Lorito away in the first round with a left hook knockout.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/hz9E2YAxAd\">pic.twitter.com/hz9E2YAxAd\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042923373076836812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>A move up to the heavyweight division for Achterberg seems inevitable at this point, with the powerful German looking like a real threat to anyone who stands in his way to further K-1 glory. \u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Mona Kimura vs. Eun Ji Choi \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>The K-1 debut of \u003Cspan data-tag=\"mona-kimura\">Mona Kimura\u003C/span> went off without a hitch as she was too strong for \u003Cspan data-tag=\"eun-ji-choi\">Eun Ji Choi\u003C/span> in their Women’s Flyweight contest. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mona Kimura improved to 4–0, using sharp sidekicks and her left straight to control the fight en route to a unanimous decision against Eun Ji Choi.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Trxuju1k2c\">pic.twitter.com/Trxuju1k2c\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042913676433252782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>Staying primarily in her karate stance, Kimura’s balance and mastery of her side kick was too much for Choi to figure out, as she failed to mount any sort of significant attack across three rounds. “The Real-Life Chun Li”, also showed off the power that landed her two knockouts in her previous three bouts, as she bloodied the nose of Choi with a brutal left late into the third round. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Kimura’s popularity on social media and intriguing fighting style means there will be plenty of eyes on K-1 when “The Real-Life Chun Li” steps into the ring again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:27px;\">\u003Cstrong>Takahito Niimi vs. Rui Okubo \u003C/strong>\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Chr>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-tag=\"rui-okubo\">Rui Okubo\u003C/span> put his drama on the scales to one side as delivered a superb performance to defeat \u003Cspan data-tag=\"takahito-niimi\">Takahito Niimi\u003C/span> over three rounds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp> Having youth and size to his advantage, Okubo flowed expertly between attacks to the body and head that forced Niimi to feed on scraps throughout the fight. Niimi’s attacks to the calf were not enough to slow down Okubo, whose vicious knees to the body sapped his opponent’s energy as the fight progressed. \u003C/p>\u003Cdiv class=\"raw-html-embed\">\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rui Okubo won a hard-fought phonebooth battle against the tough Takahito Niimi, beating him to the punch on the inside to earn a majority decision at featherweight (-57.5 kg).\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/k1wgp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#k1wgp\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Ww0Z3cAd2j\">pic.twitter.com/Ww0Z3cAd2j\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/2042908176471687399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003C/div>\u003Cp>The only thing questionable about the fight was one of the judges thinking such a one-sided performance warranted a draw, but that wont matter to Okubo who will look to reinsert himself into the title picture after that win.\u003C/p>","2026-04-12T12:09:37.905Z","2026-04-12T12:09:37.946Z",{"data":71},[72],{"attributes":73},{"username":74,"slug":75},"Liam Hampton","liam-hampton",{"data":77},{"id":78,"attributes":79},"4396",{"name":80,"alternativeText":81,"caption":81,"url":82,"formats":83},"JonasSilsacha.webp","Jonas Silsacha lands a right hand. 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