Nadaka Yoshinari turned Rifdean Masdor’s own aggression against him, landing a devastating left head kick to score a second-round knockout and retain his ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE SAMURAI 4.
The Japanese champion stopped Masdor at 58 seconds of the second round on Saturday, October 17, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. However, Masdor could not have won the title even if he had secured the victory after missing weight ahead of their clash.
Speaking after the fight, Nadaka explained how the early exchange helped him prepare for the decisive moment.
“When he threw [the backfist] at the beginning, I saw it. It was a cautionary scene in the fight for me. But since he threw it so early, I was able to see he was going after that. That is what led to the finish. I got that read and connected it to the counter,” Nadaka said.
The champion also described the impact of the head kick and how Masdor’s reaction gave him confidence that he had landed the finishing blow.
“I really felt my shin hit heavy on his head. I saw him drop in slow motion. I saw his eyes roll back. But when he stood up, his legs were shaky, and I was feeling pretty confident in the result at that point.”
The victory gave Nadaka another successful defense of his atomweight Muay Thai crown and extended his remarkable unbeaten run to 43 fights.
However, the champion had more than the title on his mind heading into ONE SAMURAI 4. Nadaka wanted to deliver a stronger performance after feeling dissatisfied with his previous outing, a decision victory over Har Ling Om in kickboxing at ONE SAMURAI 3.
This time, he returned to Muay Thai and secured the kind of finish he had been working toward. He also credited Masdor’s strength with helping produce an entertaining contest.
Nadaka believes his performance showed fans what makes Muay Thai exciting and could help draw more attention to the division.
“I feel that I was able to show the fans the high level of Muay Thai and kind of introduce them to the entertaining nature of the sport. It brings the division up, the level of the division, the attention, the excitement,” Nadaka said.
The win also carried personal significance for the champion. Nadaka revealed that his teammates at Eiwa Sports Gym had received performance bonuses while he had yet to earn one. Securing a US$100,000 bonus in front of his home-country fans gave him another reason to celebrate with his team.
His cousin Shimon Yoshinari, ONE’s fourth-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender, was among the teammates who had already earned that recognition.
Despite the celebration, Nadaka knows he cannot afford to relax if he wants to remain champion for years to come.
“There are guys who have beaten my opponent tonight, guys that are coming up the ranks, so I really need to stay on my game in order to stay champion for a long time.”
