Four Japanese ONE Championship Fighters Who Won World Titles On Home Soil

ONE Championship makes history again on Wednesday, April 29. ONE Samurai 1 , the first installment of a brand-new monthly series built around Japan’s greatest martial artists, descends on Tokyo’s Ariake Arena with multiple ONE World Titles on the line and a nation holding its breath. Takeru Segawa steps into the ring for the final time, chasing redemption and the interim ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title against Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a rematch that fans around the globe have been clamoring for.

Yuki Yoza , Japan’s hottest kickboxing star, gets his long-awaited shot at Jonathan “The General” Haggerty ‘s ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship. Plus, Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu puts his ONE Flyweight MMA World Title on the line for the second time on home soil against Avazbek Kholmirzaev . View this post on Instagram This is the biggest night in Japanese martial arts history.

But to understand what it means, you have to understand what came before it. Since ONE first arrived in Tokyo in 2019, Japanese fighters have risen to the occasion on the grandest stage in combat sports, winning ONE World Titles in front of their home fans when the pressure was at its absolute peak. Here are the fighters who led the way.

Aoki Comes Home A ONE World Champion When ONE landed in Tokyo for the very first time in March 2019 with ONE: A NEW ERA , it needed a moment to match the magnitude of the occasion. Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki delivered one. Japan’s most iconic submission grappler walked into the Ryogoku Kokugikan and reclaimed the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in front of his home nation, cementing his legacy and setting the tone for every Japanese fighter who would follow.