ONE SAMURAI 1 Grows With World Title Defence, Ghazali Return, And K-1 Legend
ONE SAMURAI 1 on Wednesday, April 29, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo has added five more bouts to what is already shaping up as one of the most stacked cards in ONE Championship’s history. And the headliner of the new additions is a World Title fight.
ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka makes the first defence of his 26 pounds of gold against Thai destroyer Songchainoi Kiatsongrit, with the pair set to collide in front of a passionate Tokyo crowd that watched Nadaka capture the inaugural belt at ONE 173 last year.
The 25-year-old Eiwa Sports Gym representative carries a 66-6 career record and a flawless 4-0 promotional mark into his first title defence. His trophy case already includes Rajadamnern Stadium, Lumpinee Stadium, WMC, and WBC Muay Thai World Titles. It’s an extraordinary collection for someone still so young in his career. He systematically outclassed Numsurin Chor Ketwina to claim the belt in front of his home crowd and arrives as the clear favorite.
Songchainoi is not coming to Tokyo to play the supporting role. The Kiatsongrit Muay Thai Gym representative carries a 60-18 career record and a remarkable 10-1 promotional slate, winning nine consecutive fights at his absolute peak. A statement performance over Salai Htan Khee Shein last October kept that momentum rolling, and he views Ariake Arena as the ideal stage on which to shock the champion and silence the crowd.
Elsewhere on the freshly updated card, flyweight Muay Thai brings together two of the most compelling young strikers in the division as Japan’s unbeaten Shimon Yoshinari, 21, takes on Malaysian-American teenage phenom Johan “Jojo” Ghazali, 19.
Ghazali, the teenager who burst onto the global scene with a 16-second knockout, has rediscovered his finishing touch with back-to-back wins and arrives at ONE SAMURAI 1 looking to cement a revival that has his career firmly back on track.
In featherweight kickboxing, multi-time K-1 Champion Hiromi “The Purple Comet” Wajima faces Argentine finisher Ricardo Bravo in a crossroads fight for both men. Wajima suffered a decision loss to Nabil Anane on his ONE debut and is chasing his first promotional win; Bravo earned his main roster contract through three impressive finishes at ONE Friday Fights but has dropped two in a row and needs a result.
Rounding out the additions, promotional newcomer Toki Tamaru makes his ONE debut against Toma Kuroda in an all-Japanese atomweight kickboxing bout.
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