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Hiroyuki Tetsuka is clamoring for a shot at the ONE welterweight MMA world championship. But if he doesn't get what he wishes for, 'Japanese Beast' is happy to continue positioning himself as the next in line.
The 34-year-old made it five successive highlight reel victories in ONE Championship at ONE Fight Night 21 in U.S. primetime on Friday, April 5.
That evening inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the Yamada Dojo-TGFC upstart made quick work of Valmir Da Silva with a vicious north-south choke at 3:34 of the second stanza.
With the win, which improved his overall slate to 14-4, the Japanese athlete feels he has already done enough to put himself into the world title picture.
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However, with Christian Lee's imminent return still in the works, Hiroyuki Tetsuka admits he'd be happy to take down anyone who comes in his way of a five-round scrap against the two-division MMA ruler.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, the former Pancrase welterweight champion shared:
"Whatever it is, I just want to fight. I want to fight [more frequently]. Maybe two or three times more. Let's go."
Watch the full interview here:
Hiroyuki Tetsuka keen to take on a former kingpin if Lee's return is delayed
With an impressive five-match win streak that dates back to November 2021, it's easy to understand why Hiroyuki Tetsuka is eager to contend for ONE gold.
The Tokyo-based martial artist has beaten a former world title challenger, Agilan Thani, and several elite oppositions – Edson Marques, Jin Tae Ho, Abraao Amorim, and Valmir Da Silva – throughout his run in the world's largest martial arts organization.
But if his goal gets delayed any further, Hiroyuki Tetsuka will be open to a possible clash against Zebaztian Kadestam for the ONE interim welterweight MMA world title.
In the same interview, he concluded:
"Yes, I want the interim title shot with Kadestam. He's on a three-win streak. I have confidence that I can beat him up."
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 21 card via replay.
