3 young stars who are ready to shine at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang in Saitama

ONE Championship's all-star return to Japan, ONE 172, is loaded with the biggest names in the promotion, but some young warriors are ready to steal the show and leave their mark inside the Saitama Super Arena.

On top of the massive main event billing, Takeru and Rodtang's five-round kickboxing thriller, five world titles will be on the line in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.'

Ahead of the spectacle, which will be available for free via watch.onefc.com, we take a look at three young guns who have what it takes to catch the heart of the masses, write their names into the history books, and dazzle when the action gets underway on Sunday, March 23.

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#1 Nabil Anane, 20

At the top of the list, young Algerian-Thai phenom Nabil Anane is no stranger to stealing headlines.

The six-foot-four behemoth may have had a night to forget in his promotional bow against Superlek Kiatmoo9 in June 2023, but he's been on a hellish six-fight win streak since.

The cherry on top of his glorious run that includes three highlight-reel finishes was his first-round destruction of Scotsman Nico Carrillo at ONE 170, which earned him the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title and a unification contest against 'The Kicking Machine' at ONE 172.

Based on recent form, he isn't the same fighter the reigning two-sport, two-division king beat with ease a couple of years back. Anane has added a plethora of knockout tools to his insane reach advantage, one that could catch Superlek if he times it right.

Moreover, his defensive awareness in recent fights has been quite a sight to behold.

So it'll be interesting to see how he uses these advantages at his disposal to pull one back against the pound-for-pound great, bag the biggest win of his career, and unify the 26 pounds of gold.

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#2 Adrian Lee, 18

Adrian Lee has gone a perfect two from two on the global stage, and another emphatic win could be in the offing for the talent from Prodigy Training Center at ONE 172.

'The Phenom' debuted in style with a second-round rear-naked choke win over Italian-based Australian Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167 in June last year. Just three months later. he executed the same submission move in a much quicker time to upset Nico Cornejo at ONE 168: Denver.

Though he won't have it easy inside the Saitama Super Arena against undefeated Japanese talent Shozo Isojima (5-0) in their lightweight MMA joust, the young star has one too many tools to continue his winning ways.

The best route to victory for the teenage star is to work behind his combos, mix things up, and dominate his foe on the canvas.

He's been able to perfect that straightforward plan throughout his amateur days and pair of professional appearances, and it could take him onto another majestic win come ONE 172.

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#3 Hyu Iwata, 23

Japanese upstart Hyu Iwata seeks to take his pristine record to 11-0 when ONE 172 descends upon the legendary venue in Saitama next month.

The Team Mehdi Zatout and TEAM3K representative has put together two impressive performances over the past five months in the promotion, showcasing his knockout power, lightning-quick combinations, and a wide array of weapons.

Looking to spoil his return in Japan is none other than Moroccan slugger Zakaria El Jamari, who needs a big win after succumbing to three defeats in his first four fights in ONE.

As determined as El Jamari is, Hyu could be an absolute nightmare for him to deal with.

Hyu never misses the mark when he's stepping forward in search of a statement, and with confidence in his stride, there's every reason to believe the 23-year-old will emerge victorious in this flyweight kickboxing scrap at ONE 172.