MMA
Anastasia Nikolakakos recaps successful sophomore ONE Championship outing: 'Great opportunity to be on this platform'
Published
1 month agoon
How do you protect an unbeaten record when your opponent refuses to lose either half of the fight? Very carefully, and not without a scare.
Anastasia Nikolakakos improved to 7-0 with a split-decision win over Jihin Radzuan in a high-stakes atomweight MMA showdown at ONE Fight Night 45 on Friday, July 17, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Gracie Humaita Bolton representative arrived off a blistering first-round knockout of Victoria Souza this past March, announcing herself to the global fanbase in emphatic fashion. Friday's sophomore outing under the bright lights demanded considerably more from her.
“We were prepared everywhere. There are always things that you want to improve on during a fight, things you want to do more, wish that you did, but all in all, I'm very blessed, I'm very grateful, and I'm happy with the outcome,†she said.
“We got the win. I think we deserved it. And that's it. I feel good, and I'm happy to be back. It's a great opportunity to be on this platform.â€
Anastasia Nikolakakos grades her own performance
Anastasia Nikolakakos dictated the pace early with her elite ground game, dragging Jihin into deep waters before the Malaysian leveled the fight on the feet in round two.
It came down to a decisive final five minutes, where Nikolakakos leaned on her superior takedowns to edge out the scorecards. Given how closely contested the fight was, she remained her own toughest critic afterward.
“I felt that I won unanimously. But when they said split decision, I think it was just from maybe my eye being puffy. As for my performance, I'd give myself a seven out of ten.â€
With two promotional wins now banked and her record still flawless, Nikolakakos has made her ultimate target clear: the vacant ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Championship.
“I believe I'm next in line, and whoever it is, I will try my best to get that belt.â€
You may like
MMA
Vitor Petrino fires back at Valter Walker: ‘That guy is a clown’
Published
2 hours agoon
September 1, 2026
Petrino isn't letting Valter
Walker’s latest jab go unanswered.
Petrino (15-2) extended his win streak to four with a unanimous
decision over Serghei
Spivac on Aug. 22 to further ascend the heavyweight rankings.
Walker (16-1), who's also among the top-ranked heavyweights in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, took a shot at Petrino on
social media by posting a photo from his recent fight, labeling it
boring.
Petrino has now fired back.
Vitor Petrino says he has repeatedly asked the UFC to book
Valter Walker
In a recent interview with Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso, Petrino
responded to Walker's comments about his fight with Spivac,
claiming that he's campaigned for a matchup against the grappling
specialist many times, to no avail.
“That guy is a clown. Nobody respects him. I don't even want to
talk about him much,†Petrino said. “I've asked for that fight
several times and I don't know why the UFC hasn't made it
happen.â€
Petrino’s interest in the matchup isn't new. His coach, Cristiano
Marcello,
previously told Sherdog that Petrino had accepted a challenge
from Walker.
“Unlike him, who has already said he's not interested in fighting
the top guys, I like challenging myself,†Petrino said, taking
another shot at his countryman. “I'll fight anyone in the Top 10. I
love to challenge myself.â€
Walker is on a five-fight win streak, with all five wins coming via
leg-based submissions, including four heel hooks.
MMA
Usman Nurmagomedovs former rival returns for PFL Chicago
Published
3 hours agoon
September 1, 2026
MMA
Kai Asakura finds new life in UFC following rocky flyweight start
Published
4 hours agoon
September 1, 2026
Asakura is reinvigorated at bantamweight following a rocky
start in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Asakura stopped Qileng Aori
with a second-round technical knockout at
UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29. The Japanese star is now 2-0 in the
UFC bantamweight division after losing his first two UFC fights via
submission at flyweight. He detailed how his approach has changed
since the move up and broke down his finishing move against Aori
soon after the victory.
Kai Asakura says bantamweight gives him more power, speed and
confidence
Asakura claims that he can be more assertive with his offense at
135 pounds, a significant improvement on how he felt while
competing at 125 pounds.
“At bantamweight, I have more power and I have more speed,†Asakura
said in a post-fight interview. “So, I feel like I can fight with
more confidence than at flyweight.â€
He also broke down the sequence that led to the finish.
“There were two things,†Asakura added. “The opponent was backing
away and he was trying to counter with the right, so I made the
distance a little bit closer and he was also focusing on the body
shots, so I put a head kick in there.â€
With two straight victories at bantamweight, Asakura now hopes to
face a ranked 135-pounder next.
“I want to fight in Top 15, anyone.â€
“I want to fight in top 15, anyone.”
After back-to-back finishes at bantamweight, Kai Asakura
(@kai_1031_) has
his sights set on a ranked matchup next time out
#UFCShanghaiMain Card Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/G8E8FUHmUD pic.twitter.com/3YQb84t02n
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 29, 2026
Vitor Petrino fires back at Valter Walker: ‘That guy is a clown’
Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic
Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli
Trending
-
MMA2 days agoUmar Nurmagomedov vows to learn from 'mistakes' amid stunning KO loss to Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai
-
MMA2 days agoSong Yadong calls knocking out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai ‘the best moment of my life’
-
MMA2 days agoUFC fans blast Daniel Cormier for saying Usman Nurmagomedov deserves grace amid UFC Shanghai post-fight run-in
-
MMA2 days agoSong Yadong makes case for title fight after KO win over Umar Nurmagomedov: "I feel like I can finish everyone"
-
MMA1 day agoSean O’Malley: Yadong Song is a ‘problem’ for Merab Dvalishvili
-
MMA2 days agoBrandon Jenkins explains wild journey to Mike Perry upset knockout: ‘I heard Nick Diaz got the call’
-
MMA1 day agoIslam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad rally around Umar Nurmagomedov after brutal KO
-
MMA1 day agoMorning Report | Former UFC stars share nightmare drug-testing stories: ‘I wanted to kill them’


