Taiki Naito ONE Championship: Taiki Naito reveals he was certain of victory vs Johan Estupinan before official result: "I was the one who controlled the game"

Even before Dom Lau officially announced his name as the victor in his flyweight Muay Thai bout against Johan Estupinan on June 6 at ONE Fight Night 32, Japanese striking star Taiki Naito was confident that he had secured the win across his name.

During his post-fight interview with Nick Atkin, Naito made a little breakdown of his three-round war against the Colombian sensation and pointed out the factors that sealed the victory for him, as he explained:

"Yes, because at first, Estupinan had more attacking attitude towards me, but I was the one who controlled the game. And I believe I had two knockdowns over him. So, I believe I won the fight."

Watch Taiki Naito's interview here:

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The 'Silent Sniper' ended his two-fight skid under the world's largest martial arts organization and collected his eighth win in 14 matches since his arrival in the promotion in October 2019.

Furthermore, Naito was the first athlete to hand 'Panda Kick' a loss in his professional career.

Taiki Naito named Takeru Segawa as his next potential opponent after his win over Johan Estupinan

After showcasing his elite counterstriking skills against Johan Estupinan, Taiki Naito believes that he's ready to fight another aggressive opponent in Takeru Segawa, as he expressed his desire to fight him next.

During the same post-fight interview with the seasoned journalist Nick Atkin, the Bell Wood Fight Team standout said that he's ready to make a comeback in kickboxing and set the stage for an all-Japanese clash with 'The Natural Born Crusher,' as he stated:

"You know, today I fought in Muay Thai, but I usually also fight in kickboxing. And in ONE Championship in the ranking right now, number two is Takeru, and I'm the next. So I'd love to fight Takeru as my next opponent."

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action at ONE Fight Night 32 via the free event replay.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi