Yuki Yoza And Nabil Anane Collide In Battle Of Contrasting Comeback Stories
Yuki Yoza has already knocked off a divisional king once this year, and Nabil Anane has already worn a World Title around his waist, yet both men arrive at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, needing to prove their best days are still ahead of them.
The bantamweight kickboxing matchup streams live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and carries real weight for two fighters chasing very different kinds of validation.
Yoza’s run through the division has been nothing short of remarkable. The 28-year-old Team Vasileus standout opened his ONE career by outclassing then-undefeated Elbrus Osmanov, then outpointed former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus before shocking the world with a unanimous decision win over reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek.
That momentum carried him to a title shot against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE SAMURAI 1, a five-round war he came up short in. He responded with a solid decision win over Ben Woolliss at The Inner Circle 22 in July, and now holds a 23-3 striking record with nine stoppages and a 4-1 promotional mark.
Anane’s story carries its own share of peaks and valleys. The 22-year-old Algerian-Thai star made his ONE debut at 19 with a loss to Thai megastar Superlek in Muay Thai, then won five straight to earn an interim title shot against Nico Carrillo, whom he finished via TKO.
He avenged his debut loss to Superlek two months later and rose to undisputed ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion, before switching disciplines entirely to chase kickboxing gold. That transition brought a no contest against Ilias Ennahachi, a win over Hiromi Wajima, and a five-round loss of his Muay Thai crown to Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon.
Most recently, a split-decision defeat to Suakim Pongsuphan PK left the towering 6-foot-4 striker searching for answers heading into Tokyo.
Both fighters know exactly what a win here means. Yoza would put himself back in line for another shot at gold, while Anane would prove his recent setbacks were only a temporary detour on his path back to championship-level form.
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