“He can definitely hit hard” – Rade Opacic says he must be cautious in showdown vs. KO artist Iraj Azizpour

Serbian striking ace Rade Opacic knows that he is up against a hard-hitting opponent in Iranian Iraj Azizpour in his next fight and must come in prepared and ready to counter.

The two heavyweight fighters will clash at ONE 165: Superlek vs Takeru on January 28 in Tokyo, Japan, in a kickboxing showdown. It is part of the 11-fight event, which marks ONE Championship’s return to the 'Land of the Rising Sun' after nearly five years.

26-year-old Opacic said they have studied the game of Azizpour and are aware of his knockout power, something they prepared for in the lead-up. The KBKS Team affiliate shared to ONE Championship in an interview:

“Azizpour has knockout power. He’s a big guy. He put Kryklia down, he put Ismael Londt down. He can definitely hit hard.”

Entering ONE 165, Rade Opacic is riding back-to-back victories, the most recent over Brazilian Guto Inocente by unanimous decision back in June. The win was a payback for the first-round KO loss he absorbed from Inocente a year prior.

He is looking to chalk up a third straight win to put himself in a position to vie for the heavyweight kickboxing world title currently held by Roman Kryklia.

Iraj Azizpour, meanwhile, was last in action in November 2022, where he took on Kryklia in the final of the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix. While he fell to a second-round TKO loss in said fight, he had his moments, including dropping the Ukrainian juggernaut early on.

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo and will air live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Rade Opacic looks to build on bounce-back win in next fight

Heavyweight striker Rade Opacic notched a bounce-back win in his most recent fight. It is something he wants to build on as he returns to action at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on January 28 in Japan.

He is pitted against Iranian KO artist Iraj Azizpour in a scheduled heavyweight kickboxing clash.

Rade Opacic is coming in fresh from a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian Guto Inocente at ONE Fight Night 11 last June. It was his second straight victory as well as a bounce-back win against Inocente, who he lost to in June 2022 by knockout in the opening round.

In his latest victory, the Serbian striker was steadily on top of his game unlike in his first encounter with Inocente. He peppered his opponent with telling combinations that saw the Brazilian drop late in the opening round.

He maintained control for the remainder of the contest despite the spirited fightback of Inocente on his way to the hard-earned decision victory.

It is the same showing the Rade Opacic wants to have as he battles Azizpour, who lost in his last fight, at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru.