Chihiro Sawada, Anastasia Nikolakakos To Clash For Vacant Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title At ONE SAMURAI 6
The vacant ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship is up for grabs in a matchup built for fireworks when Japan’s Chihiro Sawada takes on undefeated Canadian Anastasia “Anniemale” Nikolakakos at ONE SAMURAI 6.
This hotly anticipated clash for gold takes place inside Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan, on Wednesday, December 2, and it is the first of many explosive battles confirmed for the blockbuster card.
Sawada could hardly ask for a bigger stage. A 12-1 record and a wrestling pedigree that ranks among the best in the division have carried the former Shooto Atomweight Champion to the biggest night of her career.
Her tenure on the global stage opened with three straight wins over Sanaz Fayazmanesh, Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan, and Noelle Grandjean.
A first career setback in January 2025 might have temporarily derailed the 28-year-old’s mission, but four successive wins have the IDEA Asakusa and Team Akatsuki warrior knocking on the door of 26 pounds of gold with growing authority.
A first-round armbar of Macarena Aragon at ONE Fight Night 33 six months later started the run, and a dominant unanimous decision over Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata kept it going.
This year, the Tokyo martial artist handed previously undefeated Natalie Salcedo the first loss of her career before submitting Ayaka “Zombie” Miura at ONE SAMURAI 1 with another slick armbar in round one, which earned her a shot at the crown.
Now she is one fight from becoming the first Japanese woman to claim a ONE World Title. Standing in her way, though, is an undefeated 7-0 Canadian who has come to rain on the parade.
Nikolakakos builds her game on elite ground control and takedowns that let her dictate where a fight goes and how fast it moves, backed by vicious hands. That combination was on full display in her first ONE outing.
The 36-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt sent Victoria “Vick” Souza to the canvas, secured mount, and connected with two solid right hands to seal the deal at the 4:59 mark of round one. Her sophomore outing at ONE Fight Night 45 in July was a different kind of test, though.
The Toronto resident set the pace early, using her ground game to drag Radzuan into deep waters. The Malaysian star found her rhythm from the second round, but Nikolakakos held firm to earn a hard-fought split decision.
She left Bangkok convinced she was next in line for the gold. ONE has now agreed, and she has her chance to leave Yokohama as the newly crowned atomweight MMA queen.
Both women are at their most dangerous once the fight hits the canvas, and that shared territory is what makes this scheduled five-round matchup so compelling.
Sawada has wrapped up five of her career wins via submission, while the Canadian has shown how she can use her ground game to finish fights with her heavy striking artillery.
As such, the scramble for control will shape the entire night, and neither woman will give an inch. Sawada will look to keep the fight where her wrestling rules, while Nikolakakos will try to drag it into a world where her BJJ pedigree carries real weight.
Two finishers, one vacant World Title, and a crowd hoping to witness history inside Yokohama Buntai in Japan — stay tuned to onefc.com for more additions to ONE SAMURAI 6.
