Nadaka Vs. Rifdean: 4 Keys To Victory In ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title Fight At ONE SAMURAI 4
Finesse meets ferocity in the co-main event of ONE SAMURAI 4, as ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari defends his crown and spotless promotional run against surging Malaysian knockout artist Rifdean “Magic Boy” Masdor.
The first of two World Title clashes on the stacked card goes down at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, October 17, and streams live for members of The Inner Circle at live.onefc.com.
Nadaka has not tasted defeat in over seven years. Since arriving in ONE Championship, the Eiwa Sports Gym product has gone 6-0, stretching his overall winning streak to 42. Along the way, he claimed the inaugural atomweight Muay Thai crown against Numsurin Chor Ketwina at ONE 173 last November, then defended it against Songchainoi Kiatsongrit at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April.
Rifdean, meanwhile, has been on a tear of his own. The 23-year-old has won five straight, three by first-round stoppage, and owns a 71 percent finish rate in the world’s largest martial arts organization. His latest, a 94-second knockout of Javad Mozafari this past June, earned him a US$100,000 contract.
With a technician’s speed set against a finisher’s power, here are the four keys that will decide who walks away with 26 pounds of gold.
#1 Nadaka’s Laser-Guided Straight Left
The left cross is Nadaka’s money punch. Thrown with fast, fluid hands, it often comes in doubles, and once opponents shell up to protect their heads, he drops it to the body.
That weapon becomes even more valuable against an orthodox opponent like Rifdean. In the open-stance matchup, a southpaw’s left cross cuts right down the middle, taking the shortest path to the target.
Rak Erawan experienced that lethal accuracy at ONE 172. The Yokosuka native outlanded the former Lumpinee Stadium champion 58-18 in significant strikes. Nadaka then set up the finish with a sweep and a kick to the standing leg before a left cross put Rak away. Five months later, he floored Hamada “Black Panther” Azmani with the same punch at ONE Friday Fights 122.
That bodes poorly for the challenger. Rifdean likes to work on the front foot, and every step forward walks him in the line of fire.
If Rifdean comes forward carelessly, the champion’s left hand will be waiting.
#2 Rifdean’s Fight-Flipping Knockdown Power
Few strikers in ONE put opponents on the canvas as often as Rifdean. The Sor Sommai standout has scored 13 knockdowns in just eight bouts, tied for sixth-most in promotional history.
That startling record matches two-sport ONE World Champion Regian “The Immortal” Eersel’s tally in half the fights and a fifth of the ring time. Fueling it are fast hands, a calculated attack that often opens with the straight right, and a blistering output of 8.9 significant strikes per minute.
“Magic Boy” also has more than one way to drop an opponent. A jab-cross behind the ear floored Nongbia LaoLaneXang inside 10 seconds, while a liver shot behind a right hook put Mozafari down twice.
Nadaka, for all his defensive skill, can be touched. Songchainoi shook him with a cross in their five-round war and bloodied his nose with another. Har Ling Om also landed a clean right hand late in the first round of their kickboxing bout at ONE SAMURAI 3.
Should Rifdean land clean even once, the reigning atomweight king could fall victim to a shocking upset.
#3 Nadaka’s Bewildering Feints
Nadaka’s deceiving feints make his speed even harder to handle. Each fake poses a question, and the moment an opponent answers, he makes them pay.
Paired with his lightning reflexes, those fakes keep rivals guessing and stop them from settling into a rhythm. They also allow him to turn defense into attack before opponents can commit.
Har Ling Om learned that the hard way, as the Japanese phenom used fakes to pick his shots while absorbing very little in return. Against Numsurin, Nadaka won every round, landing twice as many strikes and doubling up low-high kicks before the Thai could react. His dazzling footwork and feints also stripped Banluelok Sitwatcharachai of his rhythm.
Better yet, that skill answers Rifdean’s power. The Malaysian finisher rarely goes full speed until he sees an opening, and feints can create false ones. That could draw out his biggest weapons early and into the champion’s trap.
If the southpaw virtuoso keeps Rifdean reacting to shadows, the challenger’s fight-changing shots may never find their moment.
#4 Rifdean’s Unpredictable Aerial Assault
Rifdean’s calculated approach flips once he has an opponent hurt or needs to turn the fight around. That is when the creativity takes over, as flying knees, spinning elbows, airborne kicks, and long flurries of heavy punches come pouring out.
Those techniques arrive from angles and heights opponents rarely prepare for. Most fighters brace for straight lines, so strikes from above and around the guard land before their defense can adjust.
Mohamad Redho “Rocky” found that out the hard way, as a spinning backfist dropped him before a flying kick, knees, and punches finished the job in round one. Against Nongbia, a flying push kick set up the final flurry just 47 seconds in.
That chaos targets the heart of Nadaka’s game. The champion’s defense depends on reading opponents and reacting instantly, and strikes like these are hard to read in advance. The gamble carries risk, though. Nadaka catches kicks and counters with sweeps, so a missed flying technique could put Rifdean on his back.
Should Rifdean need a late spark, one airborne strike could make him Malaysia’s latest ONE World Champion on October 17.
