Nadaka Finally Joins His Eiwa Teammates In The Bonus Club After Head Kick Knockout
Everyone at Eiwa Sports Gym had already pocketed a performance bonus except Nadaka Yoshinari. After ONE SAMURAI 4, the reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion finally has some bragging of his own to do.
The 25-year-old retained his crown at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, knocking out Malaysian challenger Rifdean “Magic Boy” Masdor with a left head kick at 0:58 of the second round inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. Rifdean had missed weight and was ineligible to win the belt.
For a fighter who is rarely satisfied with anything, the finish meant more than usual. His kickboxing debut against Har Ling Om at ONE SAMURAI 3 last month ended in a comfortable unanimous decision that still left him quietly frustrated.
“Last time, I wasn’t really happy with my performance. So this time, I thought I’d bring all of that kind of dissatisfaction from the last fight into this fight,” Nadaka said.
“My opponent was very strong. But because of that, I think the fight was really entertaining, and it was just a great fight overall. And that technique that I finished him with, it’s one that I had practiced.”
The knockout snapped a run of three straight fights that had gone the distance and extended his winning streak to 43. It also marked his second successful World Title defense.
Better still, it brought him a six-figure performance bonus, the one prize his teammates had already claimed. That group includes his cousin, #4-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Shimon Yoshinari, along with the rest of the Eiwa team.
Nadaka is not usually one to chase outside validation, but this particular reward clearly carried extra weight inside the Eiwa camp. He already knows how he plans to celebrate.
“Everyone on my team from Eiwa Sports Gym has gotten a bonus. It was just me without the bonus, and I was really happy to get that bonus with a good victory today in front of everyone,” he said.
“I’m going to talk to everybody and maybe joke around and boast a little bit.”
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