Ryogo Takahashi Earns Surprising First-Round Victory In ONE Debut

Ryogo Takahashi YK4_7890

Ryogo “Kaitai” Takahashi claimed a quick-fire stoppage victory in his ONE Championship debut, but it might not have been the way he had imagined it.

He faced off against Malaysian star Keanu Subba at ONE: FOR HONOR, which emanated from the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, 3 May.

The eagerly-awaited featherweight clash was expected to deliver plenty of action, but the Kuala Lumpur native suffered a bout-ending leg injury early in the opening round.

Ryogo Takahashi YK4_7882.jpg

Takahashi, a Shooto Pacific Rim Featherweight Champion, started the match-up with confidence. He popped out his jab to find his range, all while looking to time Subba’s attacks.

For his part, the Malaysian kept switching stances in a bid to confuse the Japanese striker. It seemed to be effective, as he landed a couple of punches to his rival’s face and looked for opportunities to bring the action to the ground.

However, just as the contest was starting to settle into a rhythm, disaster struck. Takahashi checked an inside leg kick, which injured Subba’s left shin and forced the Malaysian to fall to the canvas in pain.

Ryogo Takahashi YKT_1913.jpg

Unaware of the severity of his opponent’s damaged leg, Takahashi followed Subba to the mat and unleashed his ground strikes.

That quickly forced referee Kemp Cheng to jump in and stop the contest at the 1:46 mark of round one.

Although it may not be the way Takahashi imagined it, he claimed his first promotional win. The victory moved his professional record to 12-3 and put him on a seven-bout win streak.

More in News

Demetrious Johnson Adriano Moraes ONE Fight Night 10 7
Sam A Gaiyanghadao Akram Hamidi ONE Friday Fights 81 26
Japanese kickboxing superstar Kana
Yodlekpet Or Atchariya Puengluang Baanramba ONE Friday Fights 85 15
Yodlekpet ONE Friday Fights 85
Submission grappling stars Cole Abate and Dante Leon
Oumar Kane Marcus Almeida ONE Fight Night 13 104
Reinier de Ridder Anatoly Malykhin ONE 166 39
Mayssa Bastos Danielle Kelly ONE Fight Night 24 39
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong Masaaki Noiri ONE 167 85
Danny Kingad Yuya Wakamatsu ONE 165 8
ONE Championship MMA fighters Christian Lee and Alibeg Rasulov