A pair of high-stakes kickboxing matchups between Japanese heroes and Thai megastars has been added to the lineup for ONE 173, which goes down at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, November 16.
Reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will square off against former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza in a heated bantamweight showdown that could decide the next challenger for the division’s coveted belt.
Meanwhile, former three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex makes her long-awaited return to competition against recent World Title challenger Kana Morimoto in an atomweight clash.
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Superlek, who is considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound strikers in the world today, is coming off an incredible run, having claimed gold in two different divisions and two different sports.
Also, he recently enjoyed an astonishing 13-bout winning streak, including victories over longtime ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, three-division K-1 Champion Takeru Segawa, and two-division WBC Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane.
That winning streak was capped by his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title victory over Jonathan Haggerty.
Superlek saw his phenomenal streak get snapped at ONE 172 this past March, however.
After failing to make weight for his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title rematch with Nabil, the 29-year-old Buriram native was stripped of the belt. Then, the 6-foot-4 Thai-Algerian phenom bullied him en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Now, Superlek is eager to get back into the winner’s circle, beat another member of the famed Team Vasileus stable, and finally silence the man who has been calling him out for the better part of the year.
Yoza has been on fire, and it seems like his flame is only burning brighter.
The Japanese stud, who signed with ONE Championship in April, brought a 10-bout winning streak into the world’s largest martial arts organization and has called out several fighters since then, including Superlek and Haggerty.
So far, the 27-year-old has impressed on the global stage. First, he had a promotional debut to remember, as he handed Russian wrecking ball Elbrus Osmanov his first career loss back in May. Then, just a few weeks ago, he ripped through former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus.
At ONE 173, he finally gets to face Superlek. Not only will Yoza have a chance to break into the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title picture, but he’ll also have the opportunity to avenge his teammate Takeru, who lost to the Thai in January 2024.
ONE 173 will also mark the long-awaited return of Stamp.
Stamp – the only person to win ONE World Titles in MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing – was originally scheduled to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship against Denice Zamboanga in June 2024.
However, she suffered a torn meniscus in training camp, which caused her to withdraw from the bout and sit on the sidelines indefinitely.
The 27-year-old was slated to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against Zamboanga this coming August, but she had another setback.
Instead of delaying the bout even further, she relinquished the belt to keep the division moving and to concentrate on her recovery.
Now, she is ready to make her comeback and has opted to test the waters in the women’s atomweight kickboxing division – a division she used to rule.
But Kana is focused on making a comeback of her own.
Kana had a great start to the year, beating Moa Carlsson in January to earn a title shot. However, ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom defeated her to retain the gold in March.
Eager to get another shot at the crown, the Japanese striker hopes a victory over Stamp will catapult her back to the top.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE 173.
