An electrifying strawweight MMA bout has been added to the upcoming ONE 168: Denver card, and it’s sure to make ONE Championship’s return to U.S. shores even more exciting.

Fourth-ranked divisional contender Hiroba Minowa is now set to take on undefeated powerhouse Sanzhar “Tornado” Zakirov at the Friday, September 6, event inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 

Hiroba Minowa set to fight Sanzhar Zakirov at ONE Denver

The Japanese star has become a perennial name in the stacked division. He has consistently been paired with top opponents throughout his tenure in ONE, and his win against former titleholder Alex Silva at ONE: FISTS OF FURY III in March 2021 looked to put him in line for a shot at gold.

Unfortunately, he then hit a rough spot, suffering consecutive losses to Jarred Brooks, Bokang Masunyane, and Gustavo Balart, respectively. Minowa stayed in the rankings, though, and he battled hard against Filipino knockout artist Jeremy Miado at ONE Fight Night 23 earlier this month to find himself back in the winners’ column.

The STF man will look to keep it that way when he meets Zakirov in September.

However, the rising star from Uzbekistan will be out to crash his party in Denver, and his perfect 10-0 professional record, which includes nine finishes, says he could do just that when he steps onto ONE’s biggest stage for the first time.

“Tornado” displayed his dynamic skill set across all three of his ONE Friday Fights outings. His last win – a second-round stoppage of Japan’s Ryosuke Honda – proved enough to convince the head honchos at the world’s largest martial arts organization that he was deserving of a coveted six-figure contract, and fans can bet he’ll have every weapon as sharp as possible for his battle at ONE 168. 

Minowa and Zakirov desperately need another win

A win for either man will be significant. Two in a row will be a statement of intent from Minowa. And another victory for Zakirov could see him snatch his foe’s spot in the divisional rankings.

Their matchup comes at a crucial time for ONE Championship’s strawweight MMA division, given that the interim divisional crown will be contested by Brooks and Balart in the main event of ONE Fight Night 24 next Friday, August 2. 

Every bout in the bracket is important right now, so expect Minowa and Zakirov to throw everything at each other in Denver.