Yoshihiro Akiyama is set to face kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken in a special-rules fight at the ONE Championship card on Jan. 28 in Japan, with the first round in boxing, the second in Muay Thai, and the third in MMA.
Yoshihiro Akiyama is all set to bring the heat. He’s squaring off against kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken in a unique rules fight. The bout is part of the upcoming ONE Championship card. It’s happening on Jan. 28, right in Japan.
ONE dropped the news about the new matchup on Thursday. Akiyama and Holzken are going to be boxing in the first round. The second round? That’s all about Muay Thai. And the third round, well, that’s pure MMA. The fight’s set at a special catchweight of 187.25 pounds.
Just looking at the rules, you’d think Holzken’s got a big edge in the first two rounds. The guy’s a Dutch fighter with a hefty kickboxing career. He’s been in the ring for K-1, GLORY, and now ONE Championship.
Holzken’s record is nothing short of impressive. He’s got 94 wins and 18 losses (and one no-contest). Out of those, he’s knocked out his opponent 58 times.
On the other side, we’ve got Akiyama. He’s stepping into the ring after nearly two years. His last fight? A knockout win against Shinya Aoki at ONE: X in March 2022.
Akiyama’s record since signing with ONE Championship is 2-1. He’s had a long career in the UFC, DREAM, and K-1. There were a few long breaks in there, including a three-plus year gap between his last UFC fight and his 2019 debut in ONE. Oh, and he popped up on the Netflix show “Physical: 100.”
After two consecutive wins, Akiyama took another break. But now he’s back, ready to face Holzken on Jan. 28.
The ONE 165 card has more to offer. UFC veteran Sage Northcutt is making a comeback. He’s up against Aoki in a lightweight fight. And let’s not forget grappling star Garry Tonon. He’s going head-to-head with ex-ONE champ Martin Nguyen.