“Maybe I’m going to do this a little bit more” – Nieky Holzken open to facing ‘other legends’ in special rules fights

As a certified veteran of the game, there aren’t many things that Nieky Holzken has not seen.

That, however, wasn't the case this past weekend at ONE 165, where he competed in his first special rules fight.

Holzken and ‘Sexyama’ competed in a special rules super fight, where the first round would take place under boxing rules, followed by a Muay Thai round and then finally, an MMA round to close out proceedings.

Ultimately, all it took was the opening round of boxing for ‘The Natural’ to close the show in style inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, with a devastating knockout.

The legendary Dutch kickboxer seemingly enjoyed the experience of competing under special rules with a fellow legend in the promotion.

After the fight, he told Sportskeeda MMA that giving fans some variety while squaring off with some other big names is certainly something he’s open to doing again going forward. He said:

“I like this organization, I like these mix-up fights, and what they are doing with MMA, boxing, and kickboxing. I did something today what nobody ever did, first-round boxing second-round Muay Thai, third-round MMA. If you like boxing, you see boxing, if you like kickboxing you have it, if you like MMA you see MMA. So you have everything in ONE. I think maybe I’m going to do this a little bit more with some other legends”

Watch the full interview below:

Nieky Holzken showed his class at ONE 165

Make no mistake about it, both Nieky Holzken and Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama are legends of the game that have seen and done it all in their careers.

The contest starting out in the striking realms was always going to put the Japanese fighter under pressure, but Holzken's boxing proved to be too much in the opening round.

Standing in front of a world class striker like Holzken with four-ounce gloves is a dangerous prospect and the Dutchman wasted no time before putting his opponent away.

‘The Natural’ is still a threat to anyone while the contest plays out on the feet, making him the perfect competitor for mixed rules contests.

ONE Championship fans can rewatch all the action from ONE 165 via the on-demand replay available at watch.onefc.com.