Nieky Holzken marvels at how teenage son can hold his own against grown men

Four-time GLORY Kickboxing world champion Nieky Holzken can’t believe how well his son can hold his own against more experienced fighters inside the ring.

Holzken, a combat sports veteran with 94 career wins to his credit, will make his long-awaited return to the ONE Championship ring on June 9 as he steps into the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a ONE Fight Night 11 clash with Arian Sadikovic.

Ahead of his return to The Land of Smiles, ‘The Natural’ shared some insight into his son’s development inside the ring, including his ability to go toe-to-toe with veterans:

“He's really, really strong. He trains with guys from 20 years old to 28 years old... He kicks their asses and they are A-class fighters, you know, so he's really strong.”

Nieky Holzken last stepped inside the circle more than a year ago, suffering a second-round knockout against two-time ONE world title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee. Prior to that, Holzken scored his own second-round KO against striking legend John Wayne Parr at ONE on TNT III in 2021. ‘The Natural’ also holds victories over heavy-hitting Brazilian Cosmo Alexandre and Mustapha Haida.

Meeting him at ONE Fight Night 11 will be Arian Sadikovic, a German standout with 23 career victories. ‘Game Over’ is currently 1-1 under the ONE Championship banner, earning his own win over Mustapha Haida before dropping a unanimous decision to two-sport ONE world champion Regian Eersel at ONE 156 last year.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 11 live and for free in U.S. primetime on June 9.