ONE 172 marked a successful return to Japan, held at the Saitama Super Arena, where all three MMA fights concluded in the opening round.
In a fight for the flyweight championship, which had become vacant after Demetrious Johnson`s retirement, Yuya Wakamatsu defeated Adriano Moraes by TKO in under four minutes.
Wakamatsu started aggressively, landing a strong right hand and uppercut early in the fight. After a brief clinch, Wakamatsu unleashed a powerful combination of uppercuts that dropped Moraes, leading to a referee stoppage at 3:39 of the first round.
Supported by the renowned Ryo Chonan, Wakamatsu, nicknamed “Little Piranha,” extends his winning streak to four fights, avenging his previous defeat to Moraes from 2022.
The co-main MMA event featured the fourth showdown between Shinya Aoki and Eduard Folayang. Aoki once again emerged victorious, securing a first-round armbar submission against Folayang in just 53 seconds. Despite Folayang`s initial takedown defense and knee strikes, Aoki quickly transitioned to a guard pull and locked in the fight-ending submission.
The opening MMA bout saw Adrian Lee maintain his undefeated professional record, now 3-0, with a swift anaconda choke submission over Takeharu Ogawa in just 63 seconds.
The kickboxing segment of the event was highlighted by Rodtang Jitmuangnon`s spectacular first-round knockout of Takeru Segawa in a highly anticipated main event. Rodtang finished the fight with a powerful left hand. John Lineker, a UFC veteran and former ONE bantamweight champion, also competed in kickboxing but lost a split decision to Hiroki Akimoto.
Here are the ONE 172 results:
- Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Takeru Segawa via KO – Round 1, 1:20 (Kickboxing)
- Masaaki Noiri def. Tawanchai PK Saenchai via TKO – Round 1, 1:55 (Kickboxing)
- Yuya Wakamatsu def. Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes via TKO – Round 1, 3:39
- Jonathan Di Bella def. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao via Unanimous Decision (Kickboxing)
- Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom def. Kana Morimoto via Unanimous Decision (Kickboxing)
- Nabil Anane def. Superlek Kiatmoo9 via Unanimous Decision (Muay Thai)
- Nadaka Yoshinari def. Rak Erawan via KO – Round 3, 2:40 (Muay Thai)
- Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via Submission (Armbar) – Round 1, 0:53
- Hiroki Akimoto def. John Lineker via Split Decision (Kickboxing)
- Adrian Lee def. Takeharu Ogawa via Submission (Anaconda Choke) – Round 1, 1:03
- Shimon Yoshinari defeats Yodlekpet Or Atchariya via Unanimous Decision (Muay Thai)
- Hyu def. Zakaria El Jamari via KO – Round 1, 2:12 (Kickboxing)
- Ryusei defeats Suriyanlek Por Yenying via Unanimous Decision (Kickboxing)
