Anastasia Nikolakakos Survives Absolute Fire To Stay Perfect Against Jihin Radzuan
A perfect record can feel heavier than an unbeaten one, and on Friday night in Bangkok, Anastasia Nikolakakos carried every pound of that pressure.
The surging Canadian improved to 7-0 with a hard-fought split-decision win over Jihin Radzuan in a high-stakes atomweight MMA showdown at ONE Fight Night 45 on Friday, July 17, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Gracie Humaita Bolton representative arrived at this sophomore U.S. primetime outing off a blistering first-round knockout of Victoria Souza this past March, fully prepared for another grueling test. Friday demanded far more from her than that debut had.
Nikolakakos dictated the pace early, relying on her elite ground game to control the fight and drag the 27-year-old Malaysian star into deep waters.
Jihin answered in round two, finding her rhythm on the feet and working effectively from the clinch to level the contest. It all came down to a decisive final five minutes.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt leaned on her superior takedowns down the stretch, doing just enough to edge out the judges’ scorecards.
“We were prepared everywhere. There are always things that you want to improve on during a fight, things you want to do more, wish that you did, but all in all, I’m very blessed, I’m very grateful, and I’m happy with the outcome.”
Given how closely contested the fight was, Nikolakakos remained her own toughest critic when grading the performance.
“I felt that I won unanimously. But when they said split decision, I think it was just from maybe my eye being puffy. As for my performance, I’d give myself a seven out of ten.”
That same honesty extended to how she assessed her opponent, whose relentless stand-up pressure never once caught her off guard once the bell sounded.
With two promotional wins now banked and a flawless record fully intact, her sights are set firmly on the vacant ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship.
“I believe I’m next in line, and whoever it is, I will try my best to get that belt.”
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