ONE Warrior Series Alum Akihiro Fujisawa Claims Victory In Manila

Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa had a dream start to life in ONE Championship with a quick, if unusual, victory over fellow promotional debutant Kaji “Alpha” Ebin at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR. The bout took place in Manila, Philippines, on Friday, 20 April.

Fujisawa earned his way onto the main roster through his impressive displays in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, and the Bangkok-based Japanese martial artist looked determined to make a big impression right off the bat in front of a capacity crowd at the Mall Of Asia Arena.

At the start of the contest, “Superjap” came out fast from his corner, and immediately closed the distance on Ebin. He nullified the Filipino’s striking before Ebin had the chance to set his feet.

Once he got his hands on “Alpha,” Fujisawa quickly transitioned into a takedown, and seemingly injured the Filipino’s left arm in the process.

Despite being in clear pain, Ebin gamely attempted to continue. However, he could do very little to improve his situation, as Fujisawa dominated from the top, worked from half-guard, and sought to advance his position.

As the clock ticked to the 1:48 mark in the first round, Ebin realized he simply could not defend himself. He verbally submitted, and referee Yuji Shimada waved off the contest barely before it had begun.

Ebin will leave with the respect of his fellow athletes after it was revealed pre-bout that he would be donating his purse to his friend, who needs urgent stomach surgery.

Still, the night belonged to Fujisawa, whose journey in ONE has only just begun.