One Championship is adding a bit of circus
flair to its upcoming numbered event.
According to a release
by ONE on Thursday, Yoshihiro
Akiyama and Nieky
Holzken will engage in an unusual battle on Jan. 28. At the
Ariake Arena in Tokyo, the two will throw down in a mixed-rules
affair under a ruleset titled “Trinity Rules.” This unorthodox type
of bout was popularized by Thai-based league Full Metal Dojo, where
combatants engage in three rounds of action, and each round, they
come together under a different discipline. The first round is
exclusively boxing, the second muay thai and the third MMA. It is
unclear if the 187-pound fight at
ONE 165 will give the fighters three minutes or five minutes
per round, but this exhibition will not go on anyone’s permanent
record.
Akiyama (16-7, 2 NC), 48, comes into this pairing on a win streak,
albeit one that took years to put together. The fighter known as
“Sexyama” broke out of rough patch by starching Sherif
Mohamed in 2020, and returned two years later down a weight
class to put Shinya Aoki
away with strikes. During his off time in 2023, Akiyama appeared on
multiple reality shows including Physical: 100 as a contestant,
under his Korean name of Choo Sung-hoon. In that competition
series, Akiyama was eliminated in the second-to-last stage,
surpassing many younger athletes in the process.
Dutch kickboxer Holzken will be eight years the junior of his foe,
but he will not have the momentum going into the battle like
Akiyama. Holzken has not had his hand raised since a stoppage of
John Wayne
Parr in 2021. A pair of losses slowed his momentum, as late
replacement Sinsamut
Klinmee knocked him out in 2022 and Arian
Sadikovic took a decision against him in June 2023. For the
latter appearance, Holzken missed weight by five pounds, and gave
30% of his purse to his adversary after defeat.
ONE 165 will take place in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Jan. 28, with a
headliner of Superlek
Kiatmoo9 vs. Takeru
Segawa for the 135-pound kickboxing title. Additionally,
Kade
Ruotolo will put his 170-pound submission grappling belt on the
line when he faces Tommy
Langaker. In MMA action on the main card, Shinya Aoki
faces Sage
Northcutt at 170 pounds, while 155-pounders Garry Tonon
and Martin
Nguyen toe the line.