Japanese kickboxer Yuki Yoza has made a bold prediction ahead of his bantamweight clash with former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus at ONE Friday Fights 116 on July 18 at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.The 27-year-old striker claims his extensive video analysis has revealed the key to defeating the decorated Thai veteran, leading to his confident knockout prediction.
"The videos? I watched and analyzed, so I'm sure it will be a KO," Yoza declared ahead of the high-stakes encounter.
Petchtanong, 39, has achieved virtually everything in striking sports, capturing the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship and holding both WBC and WMC Muay Thai World Titles during his legendary career that began at age 8.The Superbon Training Camp veteran brings a 3-1 ONE Championship record into the contest, but Yoza believes modern fight preparation can overcome traditional experience advantages.
"He has a better Muay Thai career than I do, but I don't think I can beat him if it's just about the number of fights. I don't think he can beat me in fight IQ at all," the Japanese fighter stated.
For Yoza, this represents his second ONE Championship appearance after defeating Elbrus Osmanov in March. The 19-2 fighter sees this accelerated opportunity as crucial for his title aspirations, despite the rushed timeline.
"I had an idea that I was going to fight him when I decided to join ONE, but I didn't think I was going to fight him in the second fight. I felt that it was early (to fight him) but if I beat him here, I would be in position to really win the belt," he explained.
The pressure of facing such an accomplished opponent in just his second promotional fight doesn't faze Yoza, who views this as his moment to establish credibility at the highest level.
"I want to win in a way worthy of a title challenger. It will be a match that proves I am the real deal," he concluded.
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