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A couple of absolute fighting legends are set to collide in Tokyo when Yoshihiro Akiyama meets Nieky Holzken in a special rules super-fight at ONE 165.
The legendary collision goes down at Ariake Arena on January 28.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the groundbreaking matchup during ONE 165’s press conference in Tokyo. ONE Championship then announced the fight on social media shortly after.
The fight will go for three rounds, but each will be fought under a different ruleset.
Round 1 will be fought under boxing, round 2 under Muay Thai, and round 3 goes to Akiyama’s wheelhouse of MMA.
Holzken is one of history’s greatest strikers with a litany of achievements under his belt.
The Dutch legend, who trained under the iconic Ramon Dekkers, is a four-time Glory Kickboxing world champion and also held an impressive 14-1 record as a professional boxer.
Akiyama, meanwhile, is one of the best fighters to ever come out of Asia.
‘Sexyama’, as he is fondly called, is a K-1 HERO Light Heavyweight Grand Prix World Champion and carved out a legendary MMA career across Asia and the United States.
ONE 165 continues to build up two weeks before Tokyo landing
ONE Championship is pulling out all the stops at the beginning of the year, and ONE 165 is looking to be the perfect curtain closer for the promotion’s January showing.
The special rules matchup between Holzken and Akiyama was just one of the three fights announced during the card’s press conference.
Eternal rivals Marat Grigorian and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong will face each other for the fifth time, the first in ONE Championship, when they square off in a catchweight kickboxing battle.
Rade Opacic, meanwhile, will take on Iraj Azizpour in a monster mash of a heavyweight kickboxing duel.
ONE 165 will end in one of the biggest kickboxing fights of the century when Japanese legend Takeru Segawa challenges Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship.
