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James Nakashima is set to fight in ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters and will have the honor of giving Saygid Izagakhmaev his baptism of fire in the organization.
His Russian opponent has been well-hyped as his name is linked to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Looking beyond the publicity build-up of Izagakhmaev, Nakashima has been doing his homework and sees himself as the better fighter in all aspects.
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"I’m a better striker. I’m a better grappler, too. I really think that I’ve done a lot of work in the last year. I’m an overall complete fighter," said Nakashima in an interview with ONE Championship.
'Nako' last stepped inside the ONE Championship circle against Shinya Aoki in January 2021 and lost via rear-naked choke. Prior to that, Nakashima was knocked out by Kiamrian Abbasov during his title shot. Even with the tough losses, the 30-year-old fighter believes he carries the edge over Izagakhmaev.
"I’ve had these two losses, but, at the same time, I was five minutes away from being an undefeated world champion. I know who I am. I know who this guy is. He’s really good. Like I said, this is going to be a fight of inches," said Nakashima.
Nakashima has a professional MMA record of 12-2 and both of his losses were in his last two bouts in ONE Championship. Prior to the skid, he was on a three-fight winning streak in Asia's premier MMA promotion by racking up wins over Raimond Magomedaliev, Luis Santos and Yushin Okami.
Meanwhile, Izagakhmaev is a 27-year-old fighter and has only lost twice in 21 professional bouts. Before signing a contract with ONE Championship, he competed in Eagle Fighting Championship, UAE Warriors and Gorilla Fighting Championship.
James Nakashima predicts a submission win over Saygid Izagakhmaev in their ONE Championship matchup
Looking forward to the match in ONE Championship, Nakashima already predicts a grinding battle against Izagakhmaev. He sees the bout being decided on the ground with him coming out on top with a submission victory.
"I can get around his neck somehow. Me around his neck. A high elbow guillotine or a rear-naked choke. That’s what I see," said Nakashima.
In the 12 MMA victories that Nakashima accumulated in his career, he has yet to win via submission. This will be his first if his prediction proves to be true.
