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The world just got bigger for ONE Championship's newest up-and-rising star, ten-time Muay Thai world Champion Nadaka Yoshinari.
The 24-year-old Japanese sensation made his highly-anticipated promotional debut at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, ending the night with a statement victory. Fighting in front of an energetic home crowd in Saitama, Nadaka demonstrated his skills and proved just how much he belonged on the world stage of the ONE Championship.
Speaking after the bout, the Eiwa Sports Gym representative shared what the future means for him, his title aspirations, and his drive to rematch with a familiar name:
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"I feel that the world is bigger, and there are so many good fighters," Nadaka said, "but I want to do [it] for the championship, and I want to do [it] for the belt. And by the time I can go for the belt. I can rematch with Songchainoi."
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Nadaka Yoshinari and Songchainoi previously met at Road to ONE & BOM Ouroboros in April 2023. Nadaka walked away with a third-round TKO, but with the Thai fighter currently enjoying his 9-win streak in the ONE Friday Fights and ONE Fight Night series, it seems the Japanese star is keen to see how far his past foe has come.
"By that time, he'll even be stronger. So it will be a good match."
Watch the post-event press conference below:
ONE 172 results: Rak Erawan vs. Nadaka Yoshinari
Ten-time Muay Thai world champion Nadaka Yoshinari and Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world champion Rak Erawan met for the first time on the big stage in an atomweight Muay Thai bout at ONE 172
After three rounds of fast-paced action, it looked as if their bout was headed to the judges' scorecards. But just about 20 seconds before the final bell, Nadaka saw the perfect opening and delivered a left straight that took Erawan out of the game.
And if Nadaka is aiming to claim the 26 pounds of gold, a knockout win on his promotional debut seems like a good way to start a title run.
