Yuki Yoza ONE Friday Fights 109: "Yoza showed the level gap" - Yuki Yoza enthralls fans with his technical mastery in brilliant ONE Championship debut in Bangkok

Japanese kickboxing superstar Yuki Yoza dazzled ONE Championship fans with his surgical dissection of undefeated Russian standout Elbrus Osmanov at ONE Friday Fights 109 last Friday, May 23. The Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted the event.

Leaning heavily on his kick-focused game plan, Yoza methodically broke Osmanov's defense with crisp counterhits and was almost always the first to land power shots. Though 'The Samurai' kept coming forward, the 27-year-old stuck with his established strategy to win via unanimous decision.

Watch the entire fight below, which ONE posted on YouTube:

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In the comments section, fans applauded the Team Vasileus star's first offering in ONE, writing:

"There's levels to this, and Yoza most definitely showed the level gap between a K1 champ, and a guy who won a few national titles."

"Convincing victory for Yoza destroyed Osmanov's legs with them calf kicks, credit to him for staying up but it was a foregone conclusion Yoza too calm and skilled."

"Yuki Yoza is one of the most enjoyable kickboxers to watch in the world. Just a technical and creative genius."

"Crazy timing and sneaky leg kick. Japan has really good kickboxers."

"Crazy guys fighting a professional fight without wraps."

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/YouTube]

Yuki Yoza lives up to his pre-fight promises

Yuki Yoza promised fans he would have little trouble handing Elbrus Osmanov his first defeat in ONE Friday Fights, and he was a man of his word.

He told ONE in an interview ahead of ONE Friday Fights 109:

"I've prepared for a point-scoring battle in case it goes that way with the round-must system. However, I'm only aiming for a knockout, so I want to use the full three rounds of three minutes to finish him as I always do. Rather than just knock him out, I want to break his spirit."

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi