Nadaka Named ONE Championship’s 2025 Muay Thai Fighter Of The Year
There were plenty of Muay Thai stars who thrilled fans in 2025, but none delivered a year quite like Japanese standout Nadaka.
This year, the 24-year-old ripped through every challenge he faced in the world’s largest martial arts organization, captured the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship on home soil, and extended his winning streak to an astonishing 40 straight victories.
As a result, the Eiwa Sports Gym athlete has earned the honor of being named ONE’s 2025 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year.
A 10-time Muay Thai World Champion, ranging from Rajadamnern Stadium and Lumpinee Stadium to WBC and WMC gold, Nadaka proved he was ready to dominate the global stage from the outset.
In his promotional debut at ONE 172 in March, the young superstar wasted no time proving to fans why he’s considered Japan’s finest practitioner of the “art of eight limbs” against former Lumpinee kingpin Rak Erawan.
Nadaka put on an absolute striking masterclass for three rounds, reminding the Japanese crowd inside Saitama Super Arena that they were witnessing something special. Then, with just 20 seconds remaining in the third stanza, he sent the Thai crashing to the canvas with a dizzying straight left.
Nadaka’s sophomore outing three months later against Banluelok Sitwatcharachai at ONE Friday Fights 114 proved he possessed the complete skill set required to trade leather with fellow knockout machines.
The Japanese fighter’s movement was pure artistry. His footwork created distance when Banluelok pressed. His feints froze the Thai fighter mid-attack. His counters landed with surgical precision, each strike a brushstroke in a violent masterpiece.
When the final bell sounded, the Eiwa Sports Gym fighter earned a unanimous decision triumph while bringing an end to the Thai slugger’s pristine 3-0 slate.
The first half of 2025 was magical. The months that followed were nothing short of sensational, too, and Nadaka kicked things off in spectacular fashion against Hamada “Black Panther” Azmani in August.
The Moroccan’s heavy artillery troubled the Japanese standout, but the Kanagawa native tapped into his blinding speed and creative combinations after two rounds.
When the third canto arrived, he wasted no time claiming his third straight promotional triumph. The 24-year-old unleashed a combination that crumpled Azmani to the canvas at the 15-second mark inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
Three months later, history arrived on Japanese soil when Nadaka collided against Numsurin Chor Ketwina — a veteran with over 100 career victories and a perfect 6-0 record in ONE. Their historic bout would go down at ONE 173 inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
From the opening bell of their clash for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title, Nadaka controlled the narrative with surgical precision. He used feints to lure the Thai forward, then countered with devastating accuracy.
Round after round, his technical mastery overwhelmed Numsurin’s grit. His counters landed with increasing regularity. His movement frustrated every adjustment his foe attempted.
After five rounds of excellence inside the Japanese capital, all three judges scored the contest in Nadaka’s favor, and he claimed the division’s inaugural crown while taking his winning streak to 40 consecutive triumphs across six years.
At the same time, he cemented his status as not just Japan’s greatest Muay Thai fighter of this generation, but one of the sport’s most dominant forces regardless of nationality.
The now 11-time World Champion produced a truly magical year on the global stage, and the 2025 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year award is the perfect recognition for everything he accomplished.
