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Japanese kickboxing star Yuki Yoza has offered high praise for the power possessed by Elbrus Omsanov following their explosive three-round scrap at ONE Friday Fights 109.
The former K-1 champion got his promotional campaign off to a winning note inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium last Friday with a strong three-round showing that handed Osmanov the first loss of his career.
While he was never really in any danger, Yuki Yoza sang praise for the Dagestani striker's loaded arsenal that tested his defensive capabilities and core strength throughout their bantamweight kickboxing duel on May 23.
"His middle kicks were the strongest I've ever faced from any kickboxing opponent, and they had enough power to delay my returns," Yoza told ONE Championship when asked about the most troublesome aspects of Osmanov's technique.
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"He was really strong. His punches were strong too, but his kicks had enough power to break my core balance, enough to disrupt my balance," he added.
The Team Vasileus athlete's successful promotional bow earned him the 11th successive win of his career. His resume moved to 19-2 with the win inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
Yuki Yoza ready to start his climb to bantamweight kickboxing gold
Yuki Yoza held nothing back during his pre-fight interview ahead of his debut at ONE Friday Fights 109, asserting that he will work his way towards divisional king Jonathan Haggerty in under a year.
Fresh off his victorious promotional bow, that sentiment has not changed.
"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," he told the organization.
He can expect to be tested to the limit against each and every one of the ranked fighters before dreaming of ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title glory, though.
Top-ranked contender Wei Rui and Ilias Ennahachi (No.2) will not be easy assignments. Both warriors possess speed, IQ, and power that could overcome the very best in the business.
Meanwhile, the No.3-ranked Petchtanong Petchfergus and No.4-rated Hiroki Akimoto's experience could prove to be a handful for Yuki Yoza. Sitting at the fifth spot is none other than one of the pound-for-pound greats today: 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Who would you like to see Yuki Yoza square off against next in ONE Championship? Let us know below!
Fight fans who missed any of the action from ONE Friday Fights 109 can catch the card in its entirety via replay on ONE Championship's YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com.
