ONE SAMURAI 1 Kickboxing And Muay Thai Results: Grigorian, Akimoto, Naito Show Veteran Experience In Tokyo
ONE SAMURAI 1 lit up the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, April 29, and the all-striking action delivered from the first bell to the last before the four ONE World Title bouts.
A long-awaited featherweight kickboxing grudge match finally got its jaw-dropping conclusion, and another wild featherweight kickboxing war had both men visiting the canvas.
Plus, a young flyweight Muay Thai star survived a serious test to keep his momentum rolling, and veterans and promotional newcomers alike made their cases in the strawweight, flyweight, and bantamweight kickboxing divisions.
Here’s everything that went down in the night’s early Muay Thai and kickboxing fights.
Grigorian Ends Kaito Feud With Devastating First-Round KO
The bad blood finally boiled over, and three-time Glory World Champion Marat Grigorian made it count, as he stopped Kaito Ono via first-round knockout to settle one of the organization’s most heated rivalries.
Both men met in the middle of the ring, tucked their heads behind their gloves, and swung just like two fighters with bad blood were expected to swing. Like a pair of clashing rams, neither wanted to budge, as they shoved each other back only centimeters at a time.
Kaito threw fast and hard low kicks from close range, while the Armenian knockout artist fired off tight hooks, one of which shook the Japanese slugger. A right hand-left hook combination followed, and just as Kaito moved to counter, Grigorian cracked him with an overhand right that put him on the canvas.
The Osaka native dragged himself toward the ropes, hoping to use them to haul himself back to his feet. But his legs never cooperated, which forced the referee to wave off the contest at 1:51 of round one.
The victory earned Grigorian a crack at the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title, as announced right after the fight. The 34-year-old Hemmers Gym veteran has now silenced another rival and improved his professional record to 70-14.
Akimoto Outsmarts Hisai To Stay In World Title Hunt
Experience and fight IQ were the difference-makers for former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto, as he eked out a split-decision victory over 20-year-old upstart Taimu Hisai in their bantamweight kickboxing clash.
Akimoto, who represents Power of Dream, set the tone immediately by sending an early message with body and leg kicks that put his adversary on notice. Hisai, facing the toughest opponent of his career, stayed composed and picked his shots, though he was unable to land anything significant.
Hisai, a KNOCK OUT Champion, grew into the fight in the second round. The young gun evaded and countered his rival with boxing combinations, and then he launched a spinning back kick that caught Akimoto off balance.
The Team Taimu star continued to threaten with his southpaw jab and high kicks in the third, keeping the former divisional ruler on the outside. But Akimoto’s advanced skill set proved decisive, as the 33-year-old timed his counters with knees and kicks to regain control of the battle.
This pivotal win keeps Akimoto firmly in the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title picture and nudges his record to 29-4.
Wajima Weathers The Storm, Wins Wild Kickboxing War
Three-time K-1 Champion Hiromi “The Purple Comet” Wajima made an emphatic statement in his sophomore appearance on the global stage, as he survived an eight-count and knocked down Ricardo Bravo several times to leave the ring with a unanimous decision in their featherweight kickboxing barnburner.
The two men abandoned any semblance of a game plan from the opening bell, trading high kicks and straight punches in a pure test of chin and heart that had the crowd inside the Ariake Arena on its feet.
Bravo came out swinging in the second stanza and landed a left hook that sent Wajima careening to the canvas. “The Purple Comet” rose to the relief of the Japanese faithful in attendance and then turned the tables in stunning fashion. He caught his charging opponent with a shot that sent Bravo down for an eight-count of his own. Both men spent the remainder of the round cautiously hunting for the finish.
A wild exchange in the third and final round saw Wajima clip Bravo on the chin with a left hook. The Argentine stiffened, his legs wobbled, and another left hook put him down on one knee. Bravo beat the count, only to find himself looking up at the lights after a third left hand sat him down just moments later. He beat that call too, but with three eight-counts banked, the 31-year-old Japanese dynamo walked away with a clear-cut decision victory.
The win improved his career record to 23-7 and served as the fresh start Wajima had been chasing. After his momentum was halted in a late-notice promotional debut against former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane last November, he showed exactly how dangerous he can be when given time to prepare.
Shimon Beats Ghazali, Gets Life-Changing Contract
Shimon Yoshinari, a WBC Muay Thai World Champion and the younger cousin of atomweight king Nadaka Yoshinari, just earned his spot on ONE Championship’s global roster with a hard-fought unanimous decision over Johan “Jojo” Ghazali.
The 21-year-old Japanese standout, who represents EIWA Sports Gym, controlled the first round with a sharp jab. The 19-year-old Malaysian-American sensation turned the fight ugly with inside boxing, but Shimon smothered his rival’s pressure in the clinch.
Ghazali opened the second frame with a jab-overhand right that dropped the Japanese fighter for an eight-count. Shimon answered and came firing back, cracking “Jojo” with an overhand right of his own to send him crashing to the canvas.
Both men wore the damage like badges of honor in the third and final stanza. One thunderous low kick sent Ghazali spinning to the canvas for his second eight-count of the flyweight Muay Thai battle and, although he got back up, Shimon picked him off from distance for the remainder of the round.
The win pushed the record of Shimon, who owns victories over four-time Muay Thai World Champion Yodlekpet Or Atchariya and former top-five contender Dedduanglek Torfunfarm, to 26-1. That performance also earned him a life-changing six-figure contract and roster spot with ONE Championship.
Tamaru Storms Back To Defeat Kuroda In ONE Debut
Former two-division RISE Champion Toki “Jet Boy” Tamaru made an impression in his first appearance in the world’s largest martial arts organization. The Japanese slugger came from behind to outpoint Toma Kuroda by unanimous decision in their strawweight kickboxing clash and showed that he is the latest member of the star-studded Team Vasileus stable to watch.
Kuroda, a former K-1 Champion out of Forward Gym, seized control early, as he used his punches to dictate the range and rhythm while banging up his compatriot’s nose. The 24-year-old Team Vasileus product struggled to find his own range and a way through in the opening frame.
The 25-year-old continued the pattern at the start of the second, keeping Tamaru guessing with sharp combinations off the back foot. But toward the end of the round, “Jet Boy” began to turn the tide, tripling up on his jabs to penetrate his opponent’s guard and find a home for his punches for the first time.
That momentum shift carried into the third. Tamaru pressed the action relentlessly, rattling his rival with high kicks that snapped his head back. Kuroda doubled up on his kicking attacks in one last rally, but it wasn’t enough to pull ahead.
In the end, Tamaru earned the nod from the ringside judges in his promotional debut and nudged his record to 19-4.
Naito Silences Hyu With Composed Kickboxing Display
Experience proved to be the decisive factor for Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito, as he outpointed “Mister Pepper” Hyu Iwata over three rounds in their flyweight kickboxing clash to hand his young Japanese compatriot his first career loss.
The 30-year-old veteran, who represents Bell Wood Fight Team, controlled the action from the outside, timing his shots with the precision his “Silent Sniper” nickname promised. Hyu, the young karate phenom from Team Mehdi Zatout and TEAM3K, came forward with spinning attacks. However, Naito read every attempt and kept him at bay with sharp counters and punishing low kicks.
In the second round, “Silent Sniper” strung combinations together that opened with punches to the head before dropping down to the thighs, chipping away with each exchange. The third round followed the same rhythm – Naito was composed, measured, and picked his opponent off from distance every time the gap closed.
The unanimous decision victory was the answer the decorated veteran had been searching for. Naito, a SHOOT BOXING Japan Champion and RISE Dead or Alive Tournament winner, had watched Hyu’s rise through Japan’s combat sports scene with quiet confidence. On the biggest stage yet, he silenced the previously unbeaten 23-year-old star, improved his career record to 39-14, and may have catapulted himself back into the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title conversation.
