‘I’m Aiming For A Knockout’ – Ryujin Nasukawa Promises A Debut Fans Won’t Forget At The Inner Circle 23
ISKA World Champion Ryujin “Shindo” Nasukawa has made it clear he wants to lead kickboxing’s next era, and that mission gets underway at The Inner Circle 23 in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, July 24.
The 20-year-old Japanese phenom opens his account in the world’s largest martial arts organization against Thai slugger Thongpoon PK Saenchai in a strawweight kickboxing showdown. The card will be available exclusively to subscribers at live.onefc.com.
Stepping onto the global stage for the first time carries a weight that no amount of preparation can fully simulate.
Every athlete who has walked this same path, regardless of pedigree or hype, has had to face that same unknown the moment fight week finally arrives. That reality is no different for Ryujin, who is the younger brother of now-retired undefeated Japanese kickboxing great Tenshin Nasukawa.
Confidence has defined nearly everything he has said leading up to this moment, but even the most self-assured fighters admit there is a human side to a debut this significant.
He shared:
“It still hasn’t really hit me yet. I honestly won’t know whether I’ll be nervous or not until fight day actually comes.”
Those nerves, whenever they arrive, will not catch Ryujin unprepared.
Thongpoon’s style is no secret to anyone who has followed his run inside ONE Championship, and the young gun has put in the hours breaking down exactly what he brings into the ring.
That preparation has left him with a clear, specific read on his opponent’s approach.
Ryujin told onefc.com:
“He comes forward relentlessly and doesn’t seem to care about taking punches to get in close.”
That read on Thongpoon’s aggressive style has only sharpened the Chiba native’s own intentions heading into the biggest chapter of his career yet.
True to the explosive reputation that built his 18-3 record in the first place, Ryujin has no interest in simply getting his hand raised. He wants to announce himself with a debut that will long live in the memory of fight fans everywhere.
“Shindo” declared:
“I’m aiming for a knockout. I want people to think, ‘Something crazy just showed up.’
“I want a finish that goes beyond what everyone’s expecting. I want to bring a fresh wind to ONE and to the combat sports world as a whole.”
Ryujin Dreams Of Being A Two-Sport King In ONE
A statement finish in his promotional debut would be only the beginning of what Ryujin Nasukawa hopes to accomplish in ONE Championship.
The 20-year-old has spent his career chasing gold across multiple promotions, having claimed an ISKA World Title and becoming a two-division RISE Champion along the way. And he has no intention of slowing down now that he has arrived on the grandest stage for kickboxing.
Rather than treat strawweight as the ceiling, he sees it as just the starting point of something much bigger.
He said:
“I really want to win, leave a strong impact, and show that I have what it takes to chase World Titles in both the strawweight and atomweight divisions.”
While Friday marks his first promotional appearance as a competitor, it is far from his first taste of life inside the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Ryujin sat in the corner for fellow countrymen Sora Tanazawa and Kazuteru Yamazaki at ONE Friday Fights 158 and The Inner Circle 18 this past June, and he witnessed how electric the atmosphere can be at Lumpinee Stadium.
Now, he gets to experience that same energy firsthand, with the hope of one day competing at events like ONE SAMURAI as well.
The Japanese phenom concluded:
“Everyone was so fired up. It didn’t matter which fighter won or lost, the crowd was electric [during the show last month]. It really made me realize what an intense stage this is.
“ONE SAMURAI is shining a spotlight on the Japanese stage, and for that, I’m really grateful on behalf of Japan’s combat sports scene. I think it’s a card that’s going to keep building momentum.”
