MMA
Hyu sees ONE SAMURAI 3 comeback as step toward leading Japan's next generation
Published
1 month agoon
ONE ChampionshipA single loss will not slow down the role Hyu wants to play in ONE Championship's future.
Hyu faces RISE Super Featherweight Champion Hyuma Hitachi in a flyweight kickboxing showdown at Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan, this Saturday, September 12.
The 23-year-old dropped his first professional decision to Taiki Naito at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, a result he has attributed entirely to a lapse in his own composure rather than his opponent's game plan. A karate black belt who transitioned to kickboxing at 19, Hyu had carried a 5-1 ONE Championship record into that fight before the setback.
“I'm frustrated with the version of myself that couldn't stay composed through the end of the fight,†Hyu said. “Now I have a strong desire to come back and prove something.â€
The rapid growth of ONE SAMURAI has opened up regular opportunities for Japanese fighters to compete at home, a shift Hyu did not expect when he first signed with the promotion.
“Recently, more martial arts fans have started talking about the ‘next generation,' and I feel like I have to be one of the people leading ONE SAMURAI,†he said.
Hyu Iwata eyes Di Bella and Naito rematch down the line
Beating Hitachi, a 28-year-old RISE champion making his ONE debut, is only the immediate target. Hyu has already begun eyeing the names that could define his climb back up the flyweight kickboxing ladder, including a rematch with Naito and a potential clash with strawweight champion Jonathan Di Bella.
Both represent the kind of statement opportunities that could push him back into the championship conversation he occupied before the Naito loss.
“My goal is to keep beating the fighters who are in the title picture,†Hyu said.
“I do have the feeling that I'd like to face one of them first.â€
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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Movsar Evloev warns Alexander Volkanovski: He hasnt beaten anyone like me
Published
7 hours agoon
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Evloev says he has pushed himself harder than ever ahead of his
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Evloev (20-0) is scheduled to challenge Alexander
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Evloev said he increased his workload across all aspects of
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preparation will help him showcase his abilities in Saturday's main
event.
“This preparation is different just because I pushed more than
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Joshua Van: Sean Strickland ‘in a bad spot’ in Dana White feud over UFC pay
Published
8 hours agoon
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Joshua Van sides with UFC boss Dana White in his public feud with Sean Strickland.
For Van, the UFC's flyweight champion, the matter should have been discussed behind closed doors instead of a public forum like social media.
“He just signed a contract in May and fought Khamzat, and then he won,†Van told Outta Pocket. “Instead of going on Twitter and going on all that [expletive], he should have talked to Dana and said, ‘I wanna renegotiate.' Behind closed doors. Then the boss would have been like, ‘OK, let's talk about this, what you want?' You just beat the boogeyman. Now it's a whole mess.â€
“If you work at a 9-to-5 job and you go off to your boss and you're like, pay me this much. Like, what the [expletive]? You know what I mean? So he's in a bad spot right now. He's still under the contract. I don't know how that's gonna work.â€
A 25-year-old flyweight champion who started his professional MMA career when Strickland already had 14 UFC bouts under his belt, Van agrees with Strickland that fighters should get paid more.
However, he doesn't sound unhappy with his current UFC contract. Van recently defended his 125-pound belt with a decision over Alexandre Pantoja, his third title bout win in a span of 10 months, including a fifth-round TKO over Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of Chimaev vs. Strickland.
“I'm getting paid good,†Van said with a laugh. “I think they pay me good amount; I don't know, but fighter that think they deserve more or—like, should we get paid more? Yes, but, I don't know, I'm happy where I'm at. I start from zero to now, the UFC literally made me where I'm at, gave me everything that I got right now. I don't know, I'm happy right now. I can't really say for the other guy.â€
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