Taiki Naito believes ONE Fight Night 32 was make-or-break moment
Despite a 14-bout stint in ONE Championship, flyweight striking star Taiki Naito never felt under more pressure than he did at ONE Fight Night 32.
The Japanese warrior entered the contest on a run of mixed form. He’d win a fight before failing to build on that momentum. But even more recently, he rode a two-fight losing streak into the clash with Johan Estupinan.
He lost a unanimous decision to Dedduanglek Wankhongohm MBK last April at ONE Fight Night 21. And after that, he suffered a crushing third-round knockout defeat to Elias Mahmoudi at ONE Fight Night 24 last August.
Naturally, the 29-year-old feels he could not allow a third setback to take place. Losing could have meant the end of his six-year tenure with ONE.
To combat that, he took a year off, working on his boxing three times a week with renowned coaches to come back better than ever.
Given the contrasting trajectories he and Estupinan were on, Naito knew the odds were stacked against him. It was do-or-die.
But he relied on the body of work and his experience to outdo the Colombian to remind all the doubters why he’s still one of the best in the world.
“I was in two consecutive losses, and I also know that Estupinan has never lost in ONE Championship before,” Naito said.
“It was like my future was being tested with this fight, and I’m so glad, so happy that I could win the fight today.”
