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Yoshihiro Akiyama won’t be fighting just for himself at ONE 165, but he’s also carrying the pride and emotion of the Japanese nation.
The Japanese-Korean legend will take on Dutch icon Nieky Holzken in a special rules fight at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on January 28 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
While this match pits two absolute legends, it’s also a fight that Akiyama feels is a responsibility he needs to take care of.
On January 1, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 7km off the coast of Suzu City, killing around 230 people and wounding almost 1,120 more.
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Yoshihiro Akiyama said during the card’s press conference that he wants to give his countrymen a much-needed reprieve following a devastating disaster.
‘Sexyama’, as he’s fondly called, said:
“It’s been sad news in Japan since January 1. I want to give courage to fans throughout my fight, and I want to make them motivated again.”
Akiyama is coming off two straight wins in ONE Championship, and his last one was an emotion-filled battle against fellow Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE X.
‘Sexyama’ was subjected to absolute submission horror in the first round before he stunned Aoki in the second with a technical knockout win.
ONE 165 is ONE Championship’s first card in Japan since 2019’s ONE: Century.
Sage Northcutt once envisioned a match against ‘Sexyama’
Legends always have a certain pull on the fanbase that even younger fighters want to test their mettle against them.
Sage Northcutt is one such younger fighter who wanted to have an inter-generational matchup against the legendary ‘Sexyama’.
In an interview with The MMA Superfan back in November 2023, Northcutt said he would love to have a match against the Japanese-Korean icon.
Northcutt said:
“You know, I could see that in the future too. I think that could be a very exciting fight. All his fights are exciting. I watched him versus Shinya Aoki, not too long ago and that was a fun one to watch.”
See the full interview below:
