KUALA Lumpur’s Agilan “Alligator” Thani makes his highly-anticipated return when ONE Championship travels to Shanghai, China for ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST.
The spectacle, which is set for the Baoshan Arena on Saturday, 15 June, will see the former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger square off against Japanese-Korean martial arts icon Yoshihiro “Sexy Yama” Akiyama in his promotional debut.
As Malaysians wait patiently to catch the return of the young and exciting athlete on what looks to be yet another blockbuster night, here are four things you should know about his legendary opponent.
#1 Fashion Matters
A quick browse through his Instagram profile will show you that Akiyama is more than just your regular mixed martial artist. The Japanese-Korean athlete is all about keeping a sleek, stylish, and sophisticated look.
Whether it’s him rocking a pair of aviators or keeping it simple with a basic tee, the ONE newcomer certainly knows how to find the right balance between his attire, shoes, and accessories.
At the official kick-off press conference ahead of ONE: A NEW ERA, Akiyama was dressed to impress. He was spotted wearing a baby blue-colored coat and slacks with a plain white tee, as well as white sneakers to match.
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#2 Akiyama’s Experienced Resume
“Sexy Yama” is no stranger to the mixed martial arts community, having competed professionally since 2004.
His career kicked off in K-1 where he built a solid 12-1 record, alongside winning the K-1 HERO’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. Throughout his time competing in Japan, Akiyama maintained a 100 percent finishing rate with seven submissions and five knockout wins.
The warrior also faced some of the biggest stars in the promotion such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Melvin Manhoef, and Lithuanian martial arts legend Kestutis Smirnovas.
#3 “Sexy Yama” Is A Star
The 43-year-old has also tried his hands on the big screen and modeling over the years.
Akiyama’s most famous appearances on the television screen are on South Korean reality show ‘The Return of Superman,’ and a couple of guest appearances on television series ‘Let’s Eat Dinner Together’ and ‘A Hyung I Know.’
Not only is his star burning bright in the sport, but the entertainment and modeling worlds love “Sexy Yama” too.
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#4 A Lifelong Martial Artist
Akiyama’s first exposure to the martial arts world came at the age of 3 when he was introduced to judo. His time as a judoka saw him bag a couple of prestigious gold medals at the 2001 Asian Championships and the 2002 Asian Games.
Shortly after that, he made his transition into mixed martial arts. Besides judo, the athlete is also well versed in karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and submission grappling.
He traveled to Thailand’s famous Tiger Muay Thai earlier this month to prepare for his ONE debut against Agilan Thani, and looks to introduce himself to ONE’s global audience in spectacular fashion.
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