Nieky Holzken shares his tricks for landing the perfect fight-ending liver shot

Nieky Holzken, Elliot Compton | Image courtesy of ONE
Nieky Holzken, Elliot Compton | Image courtesy of ONE

Dutch kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken is looking to make a huge comeback as he squares off against former ONE lightweight kickboxing world title challenger Arian Sadikovic. The two will do the square dance on the main card of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video.

Coming off a KO loss to former ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee at the ONE X supercard last year, 'The Natural' is dead-set on building up his reputation come June 9.

Ahead of his much-awaited return, Nieky Holzken hosted an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit. Fans flocked to the website to ask 'The Natural' some burning questions.

One really interesting query came from Redditor DariusFights:

"Aye Nieky, I love going to the liver (punches, kicks & knees) more than head hunting. I know you’re great at them yourself, so what have you learned are the most effective ways to secure a finish via liver shot? I’m a (right handed) primary southpaw that switches orthodox when I ramp up aggression (most of the time). Do you think it’s better for me to mirror stance to land to the liver more or oppose my opponent's stance? Thanks in advance. Love your work. 🙏🏾
Nieky Holzken's AMA on Reddit
Nieky Holzken's AMA on Reddit

To this question, Holzen deftly replied with:

"Thx.i think its good to throw a liver shot if you southpaw.feint with right hand and then throw it. I like to throw it after a right uppercut"

We can definitely say that 'The Natural' knows what he's talking about here. In 2020, at ONE: Big Bang 2, he folded Australia's Elliot Compton with a crushing liver punch. The KO would make boxing legend 'Irish' Micky Ward proud.

He did exactly what he said in the Reddit AMA. Nieky Holzken threw a short uppercut to misdirect Compton's attention then buried his fist right into the Aussie's liver. Compton immediately fell to the floor like a ton of bricks:

ONE Fight Night 11 will emanate from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on June 9 and is available live in US primetime and free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Edited by Dave