ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru was everything and more on Sunday, January 28. ONE Championship delivered an outstanding event from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and gave fans a taste of everything.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa put on a show in Tokyo. The two superstars showed why they are at the top of the flyweight division with a sensational five-round war that will be tough to knock out for 2024’s Fight of the Year.
Superlek started strong with his infamous kicking attacks, but Takeru held firm and responded with punches at blistering speed. In the championship rounds, Superlek continued peppering Takeru and took home a unanimous decision victory.
In the co-main event, Kade Ruotolo picked up his second unanimous decision win over Tommy Langaker. Ruotolo was more dominant in the rematch, but Langaker’s defense did not allow him to get the tap.
John Lineker was a late replacement for Sage Northcutt against Shinya Aoki. Northcutt dropped out due to unforeseen issues with his cornermen. Although his warrior spirit is commendable, Aoki took him down and worked until he got the rear-naked choke in the first round.
Nieky Holzken performed effortlessly in his special rules match against Yoshihiro Akiyama. The four-ounce boxing first round allowed Holzken’s brilliant hands to shine as he dropped Akiyama twice, forcing the referee to call the action.
Marat Grigorian inched closer to leveling the series against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong with a third-round TKO over the Thai star. Sitthichai started strong, but Grigorian rallied. A left hook to the body put “Killer Kid” on the mat for good, and Grigorian pocketed an extra $50,000 for the win.
Garry Tonon potentially punched his ticket to another title shot with a brilliant first-round submission win over Martin Nguyen. The American got the takedown early in the round and worked diligently until the arm went under the chin. The former titleholder tapped, and Tonon grabbed a $50,000 performance bonus as the cherry on top.
During the first four bouts that set the stage for the evening, Yuya Wakamatsu put on the best performance of his career. The Japanese flyweight was always one step ahead of Danny Kingad to avenge an earlier loss to his divisional foe. The #4-ranked contender upended the #2-ranked Kingad to put himself in a position to be a major challenger for the gold in 2024.
The replay of the event can be watched on-demand via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
ONE 165 Full Results
Kade Ruotolo def. Tommy Langaker by unanimous decision
Shinya Aoki def. John Lineker via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:00 of the first round
Nieky Holzken def. Yoshihiro Akiyama by TKO at 1:40 of the first round
Marat Grigorian def. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong by KO at 1:20 of the third round
Garry Tonon def. Martin Nguyen via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:41 of the first round
Ayaka Miura def. Itsuki Hirata via unanimous decision
Yuya Wakamatsu def. Danny Kingad via unanimous decision
Rade Opacic def. Iraj Azizpour by unanimous decision
Bokang Masunyane def. Keito Yamakita by unanimous decision
Gustavo Balart def. Hiroba Minowa by split decision