“You are a fighter I can respect” - Japanese sensation Nadaka Yoshinari lauds Rak Erawan for their ONE 172 barnburner

Nadaka Yoshinari couldn't have had a better opponent in his ONE Championship debut. The Japanese sensation announced his presence on the global stage when he knocked out Rak Erawan in the third round of their atomweight Muay Thai clash at the stacked ONE 172 event at the iconic Saitama Super Arena.

The two fighters put on a proper showing in front of an electric Japanese crowd, and Nadaka never forgot to give the Thai slugger his props following their barnburner.

Nadaka wrote on Instagram that he respects Rak and admires the former Lumpinee Stadium world champion as a fighter and person.

"Thank you, Rak, for fighting against me. Seeing your strength before the match made me realize that you are a fighter I can respect, not only as a fighter but also as a person," posted Nadaka Yoshinari.

The match was a classic meeting of two high-octane strikers who rely mostly on speed to establish their offensive schemes. Nadaka, however, had a better defensive game plan, and he constantly frustrated Rak with his well-timed weaves and dodges for much of the contest.

The third round saw Nadaka at his methodical best, blinding Rak with his quick-fire offense before vanishing from range to create multiple angles to restart his attack.

After throwing a quick jab to gauge distance, Nadaka fired a lightning bolt of a straight right that knocked the lights out of Rak 2:40 into the final round. Nadaka's ONE Championship debut win pushed his winning streak to 36 straight victories and improved his overall record to 62-6.

Fans who purchased the ONE 172 pay-per-view can watch replays of the event on demand at watch.onefc.com.

---

Nadaka Yoshinari revels in his promotional debut victory at ONE 172

Nadaka Yoshinari was already an absolute star before he made his ONE Championship debut at ONE 172. Now that he's on the global stage, Nadaka said he's ready to push his reputation to the next level.

The WMC, WBC Muay Thai, Lumpinee Stadium, and Rajadamnern Stadium world champion said in the post-event press conference:

"This was my first [fight in] ONE Championship with the open-finger gloves. This was my first time fighting with open-finger gloves, and it was so thrilling, but it feels that it gives me an opportunity to be even stronger."