ONE Championship’s event at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo concluded with a five-round showdown between Interim Featherweight Champion Masaaki Noiri and reigning titleholder Superbon.
The contest was off to a relatively slow start, but both fighters seemed to understand what their path to victory was - Noiri was looking to pressure in order to land boxing combinations as well as target the calf with kicks, while Superbon attempted to establish his range using teeps and circling the cage in order to set up middle and high kicks.
Noiri's pressure paid off early, and Superbon often found himself with his back to the cage, but as the clock ticked the advantage the Japanese fighter seemed to have dwindled, and by the middle round of the fight Superbon's kicks were having a visible impact on Noiri's right arm. Amidst the breaks for clinching and warnings to both fighters, Noiri found himself slowly being outworked, and despite a valiant effort, did not manage to break through the Thai's barrage of kicks.
With his Featherweight Title now undisputed, Superbon told the fans that he would like to return to Muay Thai for his next outing.
YOZA OUTKICKS THE KICKING MACHINE
Former K-1 champion Yuki Yoza continued to impress, beating Superlek at his own game. The Japanese fighter started strong, walking Superlek down to the fence and steadily picking him apart. Superlek looked hesitant to lead the exchanges, relying on counters instead, but he came off worse in most of them.
Yoza opened up combinations, stepped in to counter Superlek’s counters, and then angled out, leaving the Thai swinging at air. While the first two rounds were competitive, the final round saw Yoza repeatedly chopping at Superlek’s legs and off-balancing him several times, even landing his signature trip early.
Following the unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–20), Yoza immediately called out Jonathan Haggerty for the bantamweight title, also questioning why he should face the unranked Nabil Anane. With Haggerty sidelined for roughly six months, he is unlikely to be ready by April, when ONE Championship returns to Japan for ONE 175. An interim title could be on the table if ONE wants Yoza on the card.
TAKERU SCORES SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT
After an uncharacteristic quick start, Takeru was poised to overwhelm Denis Puric from the get-go. The Japanese superstar showed confidence in his resillience, not hesitating to move forward and throw strikes with intention. The aggression paid off as Takeru went on to score a knockdown about halfway into the very first round, and then another mere seconds before the bell.
Round two started much the same, though this time it was Takeru's low kicks that were doing damage, and a third knockdown was scored as Puric's leg seemed to give out under him. Though the Canadian-Bosnian fought courageously and landed some solid punches on Takeru as the latter started to hunt for a finish, the damage had been done and after a fourth knockdown in the span of two rounds, this time via right hooks, the referee had seen enough and called an end to the affair.
An emotional interview followed in which Takeru, after shedding some tears, stated his next fight would signal his retirement, and he would like Rodtang to be his final opponent. The two then faced off as Rodtang, who was in attendance, took to the stage.
