Casablanca – Morocco’s Zakaria El Jamari fell to a disappointing first-round knockout defeat on his kickboxing debut in ONE Championship during the martial arts organization’s huge show ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang in Japan.
The flyweight kickboxing bout was the second on a blockbuster card which witnessed four world title bouts and a long-awaited flyweight kickboxing super-fight between iconic striking duo Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon at Saitama Super Arena.
El Jamari started the fight well, launching kicks to Japanese counterpart Hyu Iwata’s midsection. While the 35-year-old Moroccan showed composure in his defense, his undefeated opponent kept pushing forward, attempting to corner the Moroccan.
Hyu finally managed to get the Moroccan to back up into the corner, throwing two quick jabs with his right hand, creating an opening for a vicious left knee to El Jamari’s head, causing the latter to collapse.
With El Jamari unable to continue, the referee called an end to the matchup at 2:12 of the first round awarding the young Japanese star a memorable win via knockout.
The loss is El Jamari’s third straight knockout defeat in ONE Championship after suffering the same outcome against Thailand’s Aliff Sor Dechapan and Colombia’s Johan Estupinan.
The three-time Arab Muay Thai champion last won against Thai fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai via unanimous decision in May 2024 after an action-packed bout.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Hyu displayed his big talents once again as he raised his clean kickboxing overall record to 11-0 with his third straight win from three ONE Championship bouts.
