Four Bouts Featuring Japanese Stars Added to ONE 165

Japanese stars will add more shine to ONE 165: Rodtang vs. Takeru, as ONE Championship has announced four new bouts for the exciting card.

Headlined by a battle between two of the planet’s best strikers today, ONE’s return to Tokyo, Japan, will be held inside the Ariake Arena on Sunday, January 28, and some hometown heroes will bolster the lineup as they look to build momentum in the promotion. 

A series of Japanese star fights lined up for the fans

First, fan favorite Itsuki Hirata is set to welcome former World Title challenger Ayaka Miura to the atomweight MMA division. “Android 18” has been on the verge of the top five in the atomweight division for some time, so she will be eager to pick up a win to make a case for herself to break through. 

Meanwhile, Miura will be seeking a fresh start at a lighter weight class following back-to-back losses at strawweight, which included a failed attempt at claiming Xiong Jing Nan’s prestigious strap, and she’ll surely throw everything she can at her Japanese compatriot to announce herself at atomweight. 

Another addition to the card is a clash between two highly ranked flyweight MMA contenders that could shake the order of the division. Second-ranked Danny Kingad will face #4-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu in a pivotal battle for position in the rankings. 

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Kingad proved that he is still among the most elite fighters in the division by snapping Eko Roni Saputra’s seven-fight win streak at ONE Fight Night 7 this past February. He’s undefeated against Japanese opponents in ONE, and he’ll look to continue that form when he rematches Wakamatsu. 

“Little Piranha” has evolved since their initial encounter, which was his promotional debut, at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES in September 2018. The Japanese warrior has stepped in against some of the best in the division, like former titleholders Geje Eustaquio, Adriano Moraes, and reigning flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, so he’ll have all the tools at his disposal to upset Kingad when they meet again. 

Bokang Masunyane is ready to take on Keito Yamakita

A pair of strawweight MMA bouts are also expected to bring excitement to the card.

Second-ranked Bokang Masunyane proved he’s the best fighter in the division outside of reigning World Champion Jarred Brooks and former king Joshua Pacio by defeating #3-ranked Hiroba Minowa at ONE Fight Night 9 this past April. Now, he’ll face another Japanese contender in Keito Yamakita.

“Pocket Monk” is undefeated in his professional MMA career, and he carried over his success into the world’s largest martial arts organization by overcoming former titleholder Alex Silva in his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 8 this past March. Picking up another win would be huge for Yamakita in his pursuit of ONE gold. 

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In the other strawweight MMA clash, Minowa and #4-ranked Gustavo Balart are set to face each other in a battle of two contrasting fortunes. 

The Japanese fighter pushed Masunyane and Brooks to their limits but was on the losing end of the judges’ scorecards on both occasions. He’ll be determined to keep his spot in the rankings by snapping out of his skid against Balart.

For his part, “El Gladiador” responded strongly to losses in his first three bouts in ONE by winning his last three bouts. As one of only two fighters in the top five that Brooks hasn’t yet faced, the feisty Cuban could make a strong case for a World Title challenge with a win against Minowa.