“This challenge is the best for me” – ‘Sexyama’ on decision to accept special rules war vs Nieky Holzken at ONE 165

Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama knows he is in for one of the trickiest tests of his storied career when he crosses paths with kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken at ONE 165.

But the Japanese-South Korean icon is ready to tackle it just as he had done over the past two decades of his professional martial arts career when he returns inside the Ariake Arena this Sunday, January 28.

As an individual who loves throwing himself into the deep end of the sea, the 48-year-old is familiar with these scenarios.

And in the lead-up to his special rules mashup versus Holzken, he confirmed, come hell or high water, he’s prepared to put everything on the line.

In an interview uploaded on his YouTube channel, ‘Sexyama’ shared:

“This challenge is the best for me. I knew this would be a tough challenge, and that’s why I took it. I don't know if the probability of winning is low, but my curiosity made me want to try it once.”

Watch the full interview here:

Although curiosity killed the cat, it does not apply to someone as talented and experienced as the Team Cloud affiliate, who has made a living through martial arts for as long as he can remember.

After competing in some of the biggest martial arts organizations worldwide, the veteran fighter has found a new lease of life since inking a deal with ONE Championship.

'Sexyama' has picked up back-to-back finishes in his last two outings against Sherif Mohamed and Shinya Aoki, and he plans to make it three in a row when he collides with the multi-time kickboxing world champion in Tokyo, Japan, this week.

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All you need to know about Sexyama and Holzken’s special rules war

In terms of status in martial arts, Holzken and ‘Sexyama’ are considered icons of their respective sport.

But although both superstars have attained almost everything there is to offer in their world, this special rules super-fight adds a certain level of intrigue – tailored to deliver another epic battle on the global stage of ONE Championship.

In this battle, both martial artists will don the 4-ounce gloves. The opening stanza will be under boxing rules, the second round under Muay Thai rules, while the third and final stanza goes down under ONE’s global MMA ruleset.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.