Nabil Anane Insists He Is Still One Of The Best Ahead Of Yuki Yoza Redemption Bout At ONE SAMURAI 4
Two straight defeats might rattle most young stars. Nabil Anane says he moved on from the first one almost immediately, and the second barely stung at all.
The 22-year-old former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion returns to bantamweight kickboxing against Yuki Yoza at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. It is his first kickboxing appearance in nearly a year.
“People might think that two losses affected me a lot, maybe mentally or in how I am. But I’ve moved on since the first fight,” Anane said.
“The second fight, I wasn’t really disappointed because it was a really good fight. I gave it all I had. It just wasn’t my day. I trained really, really hard. It’s just life. You have ups and downs.”
The losses have not shaken his belief in his own system either. As he sees it, small mistakes decided those nights rather than any deeper flaw in his game.
Rather than tear up his blueprint, the Algerian-Thai prodigy has trained harder and zeroed in on the small errors that crept into those performances. He has no interest in becoming a different fighter, only a sharper version of the one who climbed to the top.
That calm outlook does not mean he is ignoring the stakes. Yoza, a former World Title challenger, brings relentless forward pressure and a devastating kicking game to a contest that could reshape the bantamweight kickboxing picture.
Anane, who stands 6-foot-4, believes his height, reach, blinding speed, and fluid movement can create real problems for the Japanese star. A statement win would also put him back on course for a shot at ONE kickboxing gold.
Above all, his recent run has done nothing to change how he views his place among the bantamweight elite. For Anane, the confidence that carried him to the summit remains completely intact.
“I’m still close. I’m still one of the best, and one of the scariest, one of the fighters that people don’t want to fight. Still the same, and still hungry,” Anane said.
READ MORE: Chihiro Sawada Is Now One Win From Becoming Japan’s First Female ONE MMA World Champion
Recent posts
