ONE Championship: Japanese star Hyu Iwata ready to shake up flyweight kickboxing division
Unbeaten Japanese star switched from karate only 3 years ago, but has made clear he is chasing gold
Hyu Iwata has quietly become one of the most dangerous contenders in ONE Championship’s flyweight kickboxing division, and after his latest win, the undefeated Japanese star sent a clear message: he was coming for the belt.
“I am here to shake up the flyweight division,” he said. “Whoever ONE Championship puts in front of me, I will be ready.”
Iwata is now 12-0 overall, including a perfect 4-0 run in the ONE Championship, with finishes in his past three bouts. His latest outing saw him stop Jordan Estupinan – a late replacement for the injured No 5-ranked Tagir Khalilov – in the third round of their bout at ONE Fight Night 35.
Iwata had been preparing for Khalilov, which would have been the highest-profile fight of his career. The late switch to Estupinan was a mental challenge, but one he handled with maturity and confidence, doing so with a showcase of brilliant range of strikes and composure under pressure and securing a US$50,000 performance bonus.
“That was both of us undefeated, so it was a big fight,” Iwata told the Post. “I’m happy we got the finish. I didn’t really feel the difficulty during the fight, but I could tell how strong he was. It was a slow start, but before the second round started I decided I would finish him and I did.”
Estupinan’s unorthodox style posed questions that Iwata was happy to answer. “He has kind of a unique kick style, but I feel like I’m better physically and game-plan wise than most of my opponents,” he said.