“Wanted to mix various things” - Japanese star Yuki Yoza admits he changed his game plan mid-fight against Elbrus Osmanov

Yuki Yoza's victory in his ONE Championship debut could've looked vastly different from what he had at ONE Friday Fights 109.

The Japanese sensation secured a dominant unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Elbrus Osmanov in their bantamweight kickboxing matchup this past week at the hallowed Lumpinee Stadium.

A student of Kyokushin Karate, Yoza used his lethal kicking game to take control for almost three rounds in his Bangkok showcase.

Yoza, however, admitted that relying solely on his kicks during the fight wasn't his original plan.

In his post-fight interviews, the former K-1 Kickboxing lightweight champion revealed that he changed his game plan during the fight after he saw the damage his kicks dealt Osmanov.

Yoza said Osmanov reacted the worst when he got hit in the midsection, a response the Team Vasileus star told his team about during the match.

"No, I actually wanted to mix various things, but midway through, kicks seemed to be what he had the worst response to, so I communicated to my corner that I'd stick with kicks and changed my approach mid-fight," said Yuki Yoza.

The 27-year-old was methodical in his approach in the first round, and kept his distance against the brawling Osmanov with his patented kicks.

Those early exchanges eventually gave Yoza the idea to rely on his kicks and batter Osmanov's midsection until the final bell for the unanimous decision win.

Yoza's victory in his ONE Championship debut pushed his winning streak to 11 wins.

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Yuki Yoza plans to run through the gauntlet before challenging for ONE Championship gold

After firmly establishing his presence in ONE Championship, Yuki Yoza now looks to go through the gauntlet that is the bantamweight kickboxing class.

Yoza is adamant that his ultimate goal is to capture Jonathan Haggerty's ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title, but he wants to chalk off every possible contender before taking his shot at the throne.

In the same post-fight interviews, Yoza said:

"From now on, I want to defeat the well-known fighters one by one. I will definitely take the ONE belt, so please keep watching."