‘Let’s See Friday Night Who’s Really About It’ – Ben Woolliss Torches Yuki Yoza’s ‘Social Media Fighter’ Claim
Ben “The Problem” Woolliss has heard Yuki Yoza’s words loud and clear.
Now, the British striker has responded with a message just hours before their heated showdown.
Woolliss will face the Japanese veteran in a high-profile bantamweight kickboxing clash at The Inner Circle 22 on Friday, July 17. The event will stream exclusively via live.onefc.com from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Yoza recently called Woolliss a “social media fighter” whose priorities lie with metrics, not martial arts. It’s a comment that landed a day before their clash and one that the 32-year-old Englishman has no intention of letting slide.
This past March, Woolliss made a successful ONE Championship debut with a first-round TKO victory over former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker. Two months later, he suffered a tough loss against the promotion’s former bantamweight kickboxing ruler, Petchtanong Petchfergus, in his next outing.
“The Problem” arrives at The Inner Circle 22 with a point to prove on multiple fronts, and Yoza’s comments have added considerably more fuel to that fire.
Woolliss said:
“I was fighting long before social media was ever a thing. I was living inside of gyms before Instagram was even a thing. This has been my life. I have lived, breathed, and slept martial arts for the last 20 years. Social media is just a byproduct. I couldn’t care less about numbers or about social media.
“Let’s see Friday night who’s really about it. That only fuels me to prove more. Like I say, social media is secondary. I don’t care. I care for the pure martial arts, competition, and fighting, and that’s what I’ve lived and dedicated my entire existence over the last 20 years for. I wasn’t a kid sleeping inside of the gym on a blue mattress for three years chasing World Titles just because I cared about Instagram. So, let’s see.”
Whatever Yoza’s intentions were with the comment, it has added another layer of motivation to an already dangerous opponent.
Woolliss was hoping this match could lead him toward a ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title opportunity, but now, it has become a little more personal.
The man who battled Crohn’s disease knows what he is capable of inside the ring, and he has no interest in proving it to anyone outside of it.
Woolliss concluded:
“I feel like he’s probably underestimating us, but I don’t care at this point about what anyone thinks or what he’s thinking. I know what I’m capable of, I know what I can do, and Friday night I’m going to come and show it.”
