“I moved pretty well” - Yuki Yoza believes he lived up to the hype in spectacular ONE Championship debut

Hype surrounded the entry of Japanese kickboxing star Yuki Yoza into ONE Championship. He believes he lived up to it following a successful debut in the promotion last month. The former K-1 campaigner moved to highlight it in his post-fight analysis on his official YouTube channel of his decision victory at ONE Friday Fights 109 on May 23 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

He stated that his overall performance was crisp beyond his expectations.

Yoza said:

"I was moving much better than I imagined. When I watched the video, I was surprised - 'Oh, I was moving like that?' I felt like I couldn't throw as many techniques as I wanted. It was my first fight in a while, so considering that, I think I moved pretty well."

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Check out what he had to say below:

At ONE Friday Fights 109, Yuki Yoza displayed his varied skills, including his trademark kick attacks, which posed steady problems to his opponent, Elbrus Osmanov of Russia, in their three-round match on his way to the convincing decision victory.

The replay of ONE Friday Fights 109 is available on ONE Championship's YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Geo-restrictions may apply.

Yuki Yoza thrilled to have finally experienced competing on the global stage through ONE Championship

Yuki Yoza long wanted to compete on the global stage through ONE Championship, and he was thrilled to have finally realized it in his debut at ONE Friday Fights 109.

He shared his thoughts on his first ONE experience is his post-fight analysis, highlighting how it was a great first outing for him.

Yoza said:

"I guess the roughness of the exchanges and things like that are part of fighting on the world stage. I think that kind of thing wouldn't really happen with Japanese fighters, so including that, it was a good experience and fun."

The Japanese star is now looking to continue testing himself against the top fighters in the promotion as he progresses in his journey.

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Michael Murillo is a journalist who covers basketball and MMA at Sportskeeda with over two decades of experience. Michael has contributed as a proofreader, columnist and journalist for the Philippine broadsheet BusinessWorld.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines with a degree in English Studies, basketball caught Michael's imagination from an early age. Varsity basketball helped Michael to express himself, and later, it opened doors into the world of journalism.

Michael has a particular admiration for the Phoenix Suns, inspired by Kevin Durant. Icons like Magic Johnson and modern legends like Durant have left an indelible mark on Michael for their revolutionary impact on the game.

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Edited by Krishna Venki