ONE 163 will take place on November 19, and the upcoming card has added a four-pack of fights featuring the promotion’s top Japanese stars.
Shinya Aoki, Yushin Okami, Itsuki Hirata, and Yuya Wakamatsu are all expected to be in action at the ONE 163 card, ONE Championship officials announced recently. The event is set to take place in the promotion’s stronghold in Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
A bantamweight kickboxing title fight will headline the card, featuring Japanese champ Hiromi Akimoto defending his belt against Thailand’s Petchtanong Petchfergus.
On the MMA side, Aoki (47-10, 1NC), one of the sport’s elder statesmen, will take on Saygid Izagakhmaev (21-2). The Russian has won four straight, including two under the ONE Championship banner.
Aoki had a four-fight win streak snapped in his last outing by fellow UFC star Yoshihiro Akiyama, a.k.a. “Sexyama.”
Okami (37-14) will be competing in MMA for the first time since 2019, when he snapped a three-fight skid with a win over Agilan Thani. Okami has been paired up with former ONE double-champ Aung La N Sang at ONE 163.
Itsuki Hirata (6-1) got back in the win column earlier this year against Lin Heqin, after suffering her first pro loss against Jihin Radzuan at ONE X. Hirata will face former UFC and Road FC fighter Seo Hee Ham (25-8), who has won her last eight fights — which includes capturing the RIZIN Super Atomweight title prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Finally, Yuya Wakamatsu (15-5) has been booked opposite Sung Hoon Woo (9-3).
