ONE Championship delivered major news for combat sports fans during Monday’s official press conference in Tokyo, with ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announcing the main and co-main events for ONE 173 at Ariake Arena on Sunday, 16 November.
The star-studded card will be headlined by a featherweight kickboxing title unification bout that promises fireworks.
Reigning ONE Featherweight kickboxing World Champion Superbon will put his crown on the line against ONE Interim Featherweight kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri in what shapes up as one of the most anticipated striking contests of the year.
The 34-year-old Thai megastar Superbon brings his legendary head kick power and world-class technique to Tokyo.
The former interim champion was elevated back to undisputed champion status in January 2025 following Chingiz Allazov’s inactivity, and now he faces his toughest test in unifying the titles.
Standing across from him will be Japan’s own Masaaki Noiri, who captured interim gold with a spectacular third-round TKO victory over Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172 in March.
The 32-year-old Nagoya native brings a perfect finishing rate to ONE Championship, having scored knockouts in both of his victories inside the promotion.
The co-main event features a heavyweight rematch that will settle unfinished business.
Senegalese champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane defends his ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title against former titleholder Anatoly Malykhin in their highly anticipated rematch.
Kane shocked the MMA world last November at ONE 169 when he dethroned the multi-division king via split decision, becoming Senegal’s first MMA World Champion and Africa’s first ONE Championship titleholder.
Malykhin, the Russian powerhouse who previously held heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight titles simultaneously, will be desperate to reclaim the crown that made him the most dominant champion in ONE history.
Monday’s press conference also featured appearances from ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu and Japanese megastar Takeru Segawa.
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