ONE Championship recently held a press conference in Tokyo to provide updates on the upcoming ONE 173 event, scheduled for November 16th in Japan.
During the conference, it was officially announced that the main event for ONE 173 will feature a highly anticipated bout between Superbon and Masaaki Noiri. Noiri recently secured the interim ONE Featherweight Kickboxing title by defeating Tawanchai at ONE 172. This upcoming clash on November 16th will serve to unify the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship.
The co-main event will be a rematch between the undisputed ONE Heavyweight MMA champion, `Reug Reug` Oumar Kane, and former titleholder Anatoly Malykhin.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong also confirmed that prominent Japanese athletes Takeru and Nadaka Yoshinari are slated to compete on the card. Their respective opponents are expected to be revealed at a later date.
Takeru has publicly sought a rematch against Rodtang, suggesting rules such as open-finger glove boxing or even bare-knuckle fighting. Rodtang has indicated his willingness to accept any rules Takeru proposes. Their previous encounter in March resulted in a swift and impactful first-round knockout victory for Rodtang.
Additionally, Yuki Yoza, who is scheduled to fight Petchtanong on July 18th, made an appearance at the press conference. The winner of the Yoza vs. Petchtanong fight will earn a title shot against Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE Championship Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship at ONE 173. This brings the total number of confirmed title fights for the event to three so far.
ONE 173 is set to take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on November 16th. Further fight announcements for the card are anticipated in the coming weeks.
Murray Blackwood 
Gareth Pendleton