The Best Pictures From ONE SAMURAI 2
ONE Championship’s monthly Japanese event series continued its incredible momentum with ONE SAMURAI 2, an eight-bout spectacle from Tokyo that produced electrifying finishes, tournament semifinalists, and future World Title contenders.
The second installment of ONE SAMURAI went down at the EBARA WAVE Arena Ota in Japan on Saturday, August 8, and it featured world-class competition across MMA and kickboxing. What’s more, fans witnessed jaw-dropping finishes, highlight-reel submissions, and razor-close battles.
In the main event, former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri earned a slice of revenge in the biggest way possible. The hometown hero flatlined his Chinese counterpart, “Spirit Dragon” Liu Mengyang, with a devastating knockout in the first round.
With the impressive victory, Noiri secured his place in the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament semifinals and also earned a US$100,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
The co-main event also had an explosive first-round knockout performance, as Iranian sensation Mohammad Siasarani claimed his second victory over local favorite Kaito Ono to advance in the tournament. Plus, China’s Luo Chao edged out promotional newcomer Kosuke Takagi via unanimous decision to join the two aforementioned winners in the semifinal round.
Before we turn the page to next week’s tripleheader, take a look at the best pictures from ONE SAMURAI 2 in Tokyo, courtesy of our ringside photographers.
