‘Everything Worked Well’ – Nabil Anane Dissects Yuki Yoza Win, Blasts Japanese Star In Fiery Response
Calm, composed, and always a step ahead, Nabil Anane made what could have been a difficult night look routine at ONE SAMURAI 4.
The former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion outpointed K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza by unanimous decision in their bantamweight kickboxing showdown inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17.
That was no small feat. Less than six months earlier, the Japanese warrior went toe-to-toe with reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty for five rounds at ONE SAMURAI 1.
For the Venum Training Camp and Team Mehdi Zatout star, however, the bigger picture mattered just as much as the result. Fresh off the 42nd win of his career, he opened up on where this performance leaves him.
Anane told onefc.com:
“I feel really happy to be back. Kickboxing isn’t my main domain. Muay Thai is my main domain. But I guess I’m also doing good in this domain. So, we’re gonna stay and improve ourselves. Get better and better. I still have plenty of time. It’s just the beginning.”
The blueprint was clear from the outset. He controlled round one from range, meeting every Yoza advance with a knee to the body. The Team Vasileus representative, meanwhile, answered with calf kicks in the second and kept chopping at the legs through the third.
To some watching on, those late exchanges hinted at a shift in momentum. But the man in the thick of it was reading an entirely different story.
Anane said:
“The third round, I know I won. I was just being careful. I didn’t want to get knocked down or something. Nothing was wrong with the third round or the first or second.
“The fight was the same as I was doing sparring in training. I am used to training with many people. They come at me, they try to do calf kicks. Everything worked well.”
Anane’s timing could hardly have been better. Later that night, Haggerty stopped Hiroki Akimoto in the main event to retain his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title, and beating the man who took “The General” the distance may have thrust Anane into contention.
His ambitions extend to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, too, where the 22-year-old hopes to represent Thailand in boxing. With so many paths opening up, he is in no rush to pick just one.
He said:
“It depends on the team, my team and our team. Whatever comes, I’ll take it. I’ll never deny anything. I always accept everything. So, I guess time [will tell].”
Anane Hits Back At Yoza’s ‘Boring’ Remark
Nabil Anane may be open to whatever ONE puts on the table, but Yuki Yoza’s post-fight jab was one thing he refused to let slide.
Shortly after their three-round battle at ONE SAMURAI 4, the Japanese star branded the former ONE World Champion’s style as boring. The Algerian-Thai wasted little time taking to Facebook with a fiery response of his own.
Anane wrote:
“Boring? How the h*ll is that boring?! You said you’d break my legs, so I fought you under your rules, and this is all you could do? If you want an exciting fight, come fight me in Muay Thai. I guarantee it’ll be exciting!
“This is exhausting. You’re the one who’s boring. I’m the one who should be saying, ‘I thought this would be much harder than it actually was.’”
In the same post, Anane also addressed the critics who had begun questioning him again, especially after he entered the Yoza bout on the back of consecutive defeats to Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon and Suakim Pongsuphan PK.
This, however, is a fighter who once put together an eight-fight unbeaten run in ONE Championship, and he has never been one to let outside noise dictate his path.
The 22-year-old continued in the same Facebook post:
“I’m just a human being like everyone else, and I still have a lot to improve. I know that myself. No matter how good my physical condition is or how many fights I win, I still have to look at what I can do better.
“Who wants to stay in the same place forever? I’m trying to become a better person in every aspect of my life, every single day.”
