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MMA Fighter Flatlines Champion With Brutal Spinning Elbow Knockout at ONE Samurai 1

ONE Samurai 1 featured a total of four title fights at the top of the card.
Drew Beaupre|
(ONE Championship)

The final MMA bout and second-to-last title fight at ONE Samurai 1 ended in incredibly violent fashion before the card’s highly-anticipated main event.

Featuring a total of four title fights across MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai, ONE Samurai 1 took place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan and was headlined by a massive rematch between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, which was contested for the ONE interim kickboxing title at 135
lbs.

Takeru ending up avenging his previous loss to Rodtang and brought his illustrious career to a storybook end when he stopped “The Iron Man” in the final round. Immediately before that fight, Avazbek Kholmirzaev upset Yuya Wakamatsu in the night’s co-main event to claim ONE Championship gold.

Avazbek Kholmirzaev Flatlines Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE Samurai 1

A veteran of top regional MMA promotion Alash Pride in Kazakhstan, Kholmirzaev joined ONE in 2024 and went 4-1 while competing on the promotion’s regular “Friday Fights” series of events.

Last year saw Kholmirzaev go 5-0 under the ONE banner and set the 25-year-old up for a title opportunity against longtime ONE veteran Yuya Wakamatsu, who knocked out Adriano Moraes to claim the 135 lbs. MMA title at ONE 172 last year.

Wakamatsu successfully defended his belt by knocking out Joshua Pacio in a champion vs. champion showdown at ONE 173, which brought his overall win streak to five fights with three knockouts. Slightly favored to defend his belt once again at ONE Samurai 1, “Little Piranha” found himself on the wrong end of a devastating spinning elbow from Kholmirzaev during the waning moments of the second round.

Wakamatsu was left flat on the canvas before Kholmirzaev dove in with follow-up strikes to secure his third-straight finish and claim ONE Championship gold.

While Kholmirzaev was able to unseat Wakamatsu, the card’s previous two title bouts saw both champions successfully defend their belts. Nadaka Yoshinari took a unanimous decision over Songchaino Kiatsongrit in the card’s lone Muay Thai title fight, and Jonathan Haggerty also defended his ONE kickboxing title in a highly-anticipated bout with Yuki Yoza.

ONE Samurai 1 featured an additional five MMA bouts prior to Wakamatsu vs. Kholmirzaev. “Ninzya” produced the only MMA knockout of the night, but Chihiro Sawada, Itsuki Hirata, and Keito Yamakita all got their hands raised via submission.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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