‘Home-Court Advantage Means Nothing’ – Sinsamut Aims To Spoil Shintaro Matsukura’s Debut At ONE SAMURAI 4 In Tokyo
Former ONE World Title challenger Sinsamut “Aquaman” Klinmee has never been one to run from a bad memory.
After a knockout loss in his kickboxing debut, the Thai heavy hitter is ready to try again at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. Standing opposite him will be decorated Japanese kickboxer Shintaro Matsukura, who makes his promotional debut in the lightweight showdown.
Japanese viewers can watch from the stands or live on U-NEXT, while fans everywhere else can catch every moment at live.onefc.com.
Sinsamut is enduring the toughest stretch of his career, with just one win in his last five outings. However, none of those setbacks stung quite like his first kickboxing setback.
At ONE Friday Fights 100 in March 2025, he met Nieky “The Natural” Holzken in a catchweight rematch, three years after knocking out the Dutch icon on his 2022 debut. This time, Holzken flipped the script with a first-round knockout.
Fresh off a unanimous decision loss to George “G-Unit” Jarvis this past March, Sinsamut is confident his second kickboxing outing will tell a different story.
He told onefc.com:
“It feels great to take my second kickboxing fight ever. Trying out something new is just really exciting for me. My coaches have been heavily emphasizing my footwork and punching combinations, sharpening those specific areas for me.
“My first kickboxing bout in ONE didn’t really let me showcase much. I made a small mistake since it was my debut under that rule set. Last time I felt a bit sluggish, but this time I’m going to be much faster and more fluid.”
Still, Matsukura arrives with an elite pedigree of his own. The former K-1 Champion trains at the renowned Team Vasileus.
For a while, the 34-year-old seemed content in the corner, guiding his teammates in former ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa and former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri, yet the itch to compete never faded. Having studied the tape, Sinsamut knows what he is up against.
He said:
“Shintaro’s strengths are his calf kicks, leg attacks, and dangerous striking. He also packs heavy hands. Japanese fighters are really skilled with calf kicks, sharp kicks, and unpredictable techniques, so I have to stay very alert.
“My physical conditioning should be better. I’m a bit younger than him, and my fitness is completely locked in. I also feel much more at home inside the ONE ring since I’ve fought here many times, so I’m definitely more accustomed to the stage.”
With his back against the wall and some questioning whether his best days are behind him, Sinsamut now turns to kickboxing for a fresh start. He wants to use the sport to remind the world why he was once among the promotion’s most feared knockout artists.
A former Thai national boxing champion who once traded shots with Olympians, Sinsamut has the hands to thrive under these rules. Now he needs the result to match.
The Pattaya native said:
“Returning under kickboxing rules this time, I’m going to give it my absolute everything. I’m going all out, and I really want to secure my very first kickboxing victory.
“I want to march forward and brawl. But hey, if I can’t knock him out, he won’t be able to knock me out either. We’re both going to give it everything we’ve got.”
Sinsamut Brings The Whole Crew To Japan
Competing in Japan has long sat at the top of Sinsamut’s bucket list. He experienced the country’s electric martial arts culture while cornering his teammates, and he is delighted that his turn has arrived.
Even with a Tokyo crowd behind Matsukura, “Aquaman” insists that fighting on foreign soil will not faze him.
The Venum Training Camp and Team Mehdi Zatout athlete said:
“Whenever I fight abroad, I don’t feel any pressure at all. My trainer always tells me that the ring is our home. It doesn’t matter where it’s located.
“Whatever happens in the crowd doesn’t matter. It’s just the three of us in there — me, him, and the referee. Home-court advantage means nothing once the bell rings.”
Part of that confidence comes from strength in numbers. Former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane and Mohammad Siasarani are competing on the same card, giving him all the motivation he needs.
The 30-year-old has even taken on a new look, growing out a beard as a promise to ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Asadula Imangazaliev and #4-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Abdulla Dayakaev, jokingly dubbing himself “Sinsamut-daev.”
Bound by brotherhood, the crew heads to Tokyo as one, and Sinsamut wants to do his part so they can all rejoice.
He said:
“Going to fight alongside the whole ‘sukiyaki’ [hot pot] gang feels awesome! Being there together as a crew means that if we all win our fights, man, we’re having a massive celebration.
“I’m going to go out there and get this win, and then we’re gonna blow up the sukiyaki pot in Japan. Let’s make it explode!”
