"I hope Sakuraba watched" - Jin Tae Ho channels Kazushi Sakuraba in Kimura victory at ONE 156

South Korea's Jin Tae Ho entered the ONE Championship cage wearing the bright orange shorts emblematic of MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba.

'Camellia' Jin Tae Ho faced experienced fighter Agilan Thani. Tae Ho controlled the fight and snatched a quick submission victory against Thani via Kimura at 2:23 in round one.

In the post-fight interview, he said:

"I feel like I am going to fly, I'm so happy. And I hope Sakuraba watched this, and leaves me a DM, and tells me congratulations. I would be so honored."

The South Korean fighter explained the move in his post-fight interview.

"That's one of my favorite techniques, that I do in training. I let them take my back then if I see an opening I get a grip on his one arm and I'm going straight for the kimura. And that's what I did."

The kimura submission had the same look that Kazushi Sakuraba would have. While standing, Jin Tae Ho put both hands on his opponent's arm from the clinch, then spun into a top position to finish the kimura submission. Very similar to what Sakuraba was able to do in PRIDE FC against Renzo and Royler Gracie.

With this victory at ONE 156, Tae Ho moved up in the rankings.

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What's next for Jin Tae Ho?

This was the debut fight for Tae Ho in ONE Championship. This win was over an experienced veteran in ONE. Thani has had fights against Yushin Okami, 'Sexyama' Yoshihiro Akiyama, Kiamrian Abbasov, and others. With a dominant win at ONE 156, Tae Ho has sent a message to the rest of this division.

He joins the competitive ONE welterweight division at 185 lbs (83.9 kg). He could face 'Sexyama' Yoshihiro Akiyama, Tyler McGuire, Edson Marques, or even Sage Northcutt for his next bout.

Now at 32 years old, with sixteen fights to his name and an impressive debut in ONE, the future is looking good for Tae Ho.

On Instagram before the bout, he said he would not use words but instead action.

"One Championship Debut! I will show you the first match with performance rather than words!"

The South Korean also told his fans he would come home with a win.

"Thank you to everyone who helped. I'll come back with a win!"