ONE 172: Takeru Vs. Rodtang Results – Anane, Nadaka, Aoki, And Lee Dominate In Japan
The non-title fights at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang certainly lived up to the hype, with every bout delivering scintillating action from start to finish on Sunday, March 23.
Eight thrilling fights across Muay Thai, MMA, and kickboxing took place inside Japan’s iconic Saitama Super Arena, with half of them ending by either knockout or submission.
Relive all the action that went down ahead of the World Title fights and the main event super-fight in our recaps below.
Anane Outclasses Superlek In One-Sided Showing
ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane exacted revenge on former divisional Muay Thai kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9 across three rounds of action.
Anane took control early on, using his reach and height advantage. Moments later, he poured the pressure on to knock Superlek down with a head kick and a barrage of strikes. But the Thai star answered the eight-count.
The 6-foot-4 striker continued to find success with his body and head combinations in the second round as he continued to wobble “The Kicking Machine.”
By the end of the fight, the Team Mehdi Zatout man was in full flow and Superlek resorted to throwing overhand strikes. However, he couldn’t get near the 20-year-old, who cruised to a unanimous decision victory, moved to 40-5, and evened his rivalry with Superlek at 1-1.
Nadaka Sleeps Rak With Dynamite Left Punch
Nadaka Yoshinari may have got the job done, but it came later than expected.
After a tight opening stanza against fellow knockout merchant Rak, the 10-time Muay Thai World Champion pulled himself into the lead off his counter lefts and world-class kicking game. Whenever Rak swung in, the Eiwa Sports Gym man was there to cut angles and retaliate.
He brought a similar tactic into the third round – assess, slip, and counter. Nadaka even went airborn with flying knees that wobbled his opposite number.
However, it was his dynamite left hand that was his key to victory. As the Thai advanced, Nadaka slipped and connected with a straight left that slept his foe at 2:40 of the frame.
With the win, the debuting Japanese superstar upped his resume to 62-6.
Aoki Asserts Mastery Of Folayang In Final Chapter Of Rivalry
Shinya Aoki closed the chapter with his greatest rival and good friend by submitting Eduard Folayang in their lightweight MMA bout.
After Folayang defended Aoki’s double-leg takedown, “Tobikan Judan” changed plans and pulled guard. From there, he secured Folayang’s arm and locked in an armbar to get the submission win just 53 seconds into their fourth match.
Immediately after the fight, an emotional Aoki took off his gloves and thanked ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. But he also didn’t outright officially announce his retirement just yet.
Whatever his decision may be, Aoki, now 49-11 in MMA, has more than secured his legacy in the world of MMA.
Akimoto Outsmarts Lineker In Kickboxing Slugfest
Former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto returned to the winner’s column as he outworked former divisional MMA king John Lineker via split-decision in bantamweight kickboxing action.
Lineker pressured Akimoto early on, but the latter used his veteran instincts to nullify the Brazilian’s strikes with low kicks and counterpunches.
The fourth-ranked bantamweight kickboxing contender remained calm midway through as Lineker charged toward him. Then Akimoto landed multiple head kicks and hooks to stay ahead of his brawling counterpart.
The Japanese fighter was then able to read Lineker’s advances in the final moments of the bout, where he controlled the pace to earn the split-decision victory to move to 27-4 overall.
Lee Maintains Perfect Record With 63-Second Submission Of Ogawa
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee continued his meteoric rise in the world’s largest martial arts organization with a vicious 63-second submission of Takeharu Ogawa in lightweight MMA action.
The Prodigy Training Center warrior dragged his opposite number to the canvas off a body lock and immediately plotted his path to a third successive highlight-reel victory.
Lee used his vice-like grip to sink a D’Arce choke, followed up with a solid knee to the head. Then he rolled into an Anaconda choke to secure the fastest triumph of his budding career.
The 19-year-old was rewarded with a third straight US$50,000 performance bonus for his fine finish after acquiring similar sums for his submission wins over Nico Cornejo and Antonio Mammarella.
Shimon Uses Size And Footwork To Frustrate Yodlekpet
Shimon Yoshinari ran circles around Yodlekpet “The Destroyer” Or Atchariya to take a dominant unanimous decision win in their flyweight Muay Thai bout.
The Japanese fighter from Eiwa Sports Gym used his size and reach advantage to the fullest, keeping the heavy-handed Yodlekpet at bay with boxing combinations, leg kicks, and knees.
While Yodlekpet found success mid-fight by going to his foe’s body, Shimon continued to answer on the outside. Avoiding a fight in the pocket, he picked off the four-time Muay Thai World Champion from a distance.
Things didn’t get any better for Yodlekpet in the later stages, either. Shimon landed efficient boxing combinations with ease as he fought off the back foot to frustrate the Thai and seal the victory.
With the win, Shimon remained unbeaten in ONE and improved to 22-1 overall.
Hyu Scores First-Round KO Of El Jamari With Blitzing Knee
Japanese standout Hyu continued his unblemished run as he dismantled Zakaria El Jamari with a first-round knockout in flyweight kickboxing action.
Hyu pressed El Jamari from the first bell, peppering him with jabs and hard high kicks to remain in control.
The output quickly became too much for the Moroccan, as the Team Mehdi Zatout and TEAM3K talent forced him into the corner. Once there, Hyu landed a flush knee to score the knockout at 2:12 of the opening round.
With the victory, the 22-year-old moved his all-striking record to 11-0.
Ryusei Catapults Himself To Victory Over Suriyanlek With Crafty Counterstrikes
Japan’s “Notorious Tyrant” Ryusei got his campaign on the global stage off to a winning note in his 132-pound kickboxing duel alongside Thailand’s Suriyanlek.
The Thai brought his usual ultra-aggressive flair, but the ISKA K-1 World Champion had the chops and used his counterattacks perfectly at every exchange.
He fended off Suriyanlek’s heavy hands with push kicks and stinging calf kicks throughout this three-round scrap. The 23-year-old even went airborne with flying knees that grazed the Sangtiennoi athlete’s chin on several occasions.
Despite fighting off the back foot, Ryusei was in cruise control, and all three judges handed him the unanimous decision to improve his slate to 19-1.
