Coming completely out of left field and dethroning an undefeated champion is no easy task, but that’s exactly what Japanese strawweight stalwart Yoshitaka Naito had accomplished — and in his ONE Championship promotional debut, no less.

There is no doubt that Naito, 32, is immensely talented. He would have to be, with the way he took the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt from former titleholder Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke’s iron grip. Plus, he was a Shooto Flyweight Champion who had defended his title twice.

And you do not just beat a world champion like that without having the skills necessary to do so, in your opponent’s backyard, against all odds. Naito overcame Dejdamrong’s tremendous world-class striking prowess to win by submission within four rounds of a terribly grueling contest, and it was impressive, to say the least.

This Friday, 7 October, the unbeaten Naito (11-0) takes on undefeated young gun Joshua Pacio (8-0) of the Philippines at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS in Yangon’s Thuwunna Indoor Stadium. On the line will be Naito’s ONE Strawweight World Championship, marking Naito’s first title defense.

Naito has the ability to hold on to the title for a very long time, but to get the ball rolling he’ll have to prove that he is not only able to beat an established champion in Dejdamrong, but also a high-flying upstart such as Pacio.

Win or lose, there’s no doubt Naito has the skills necessary to be able to successfully defend his belt, and build his own legacy.

#1 Excellent striking

It takes a true martial artist to become a complete fighter like Yoshitaka Naito. The Japanese champion may have more submission victories under his belt, but that does not mean he is a dud in the standup.

Naito sets up his combinations very nicely. It just so happens that his biggest strength lies in grappling. But to be able to supplement those world-class grappling skills, Naito has to possess a solid striking game to go along with it.

The 32-year-old made a name for himself in Japan’s world-famous Korakuen Hall competing for Shooto, and you do not get by a slew of Japan’s best fighters without having the striking skills to round out your overall game.

Do not sleep on Naito’s striking — it may not be the highlight of the package, but it is surely enough to keep opponents wary.

#2 World-class grappling skills

There is a lot to be said about Japanese fighters and grappling. It is just a natural fit. Take a look at the landscape of Japanese fighters and you’ll know see how Yoshitaka Naito is cut from the same cloth as fighters like Shinya Aoki.

The Japanese take pride in their craft, and grappling is perfected through the constant sharpening of skills. Naito hasn’t been in the game as long as his seniors, but he certainly absorbed their tenacity on the ground.

Make no mistake about it, Naito is a grappler through and through. Despite his up-to-par striking skills, Naito’s strengths lie in driving an opponent to the mat and keeping him there, testing his ability to defend against multiple submissions.

When Naito takes on Pacio this Friday night, he will most definitely want to take the Filipino to the ground. Pacio is a wushu expert who has honed his skills with his teammates at the famed Team Lakay, and although he has better than average grappling skills, Naito is a different beast. Naito would do well to take this fight to the ground as soon as possible.

#3 Japanese work ethic

The one thing that sets Japanese fighters apart from the rest of the world is their insane work ethic. Naito has worked extremely hard to get to where he is in his career, and a lot of his success stems from his obsession with perfecting every aspect of his MMA game from striking to grappling.

Day in and day out, Naito hits the gym with the aim of working on every little nuance of his technique.

He makes sure that every strike he throws is crisp, clean, and accurate. He works on his takedowns and in getting his opponents to the ground where he works his magic. Then he spends hours on his grappling to make sure that once an opponent is on the ground, he can keep him there.

Japanese people are some of the hardest workers in the world. They take work very seriously. Yoshitaka Naito’s workplace is the gym and he goes in there everyday to make sure his customers, the fans, are satisfied.

Naito and Pacio are set to do battle this Friday. For Pacio, it is the biggest fight of his young career. For Naito, it could very well be just another day at the office.

Coming completely out of left field and dethroning an undefeated champion is no easy task, but that’s exactly what Japanese strawweight stalwart Yoshitaka Naito had accomplished — and in his ONE Championship promotional debut, no less.

There is no doubt that Naito, 32, is immensely talented. He would have to be, with the way he took the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt from former titleholder Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke’s iron grip. Plus, he was a Shooto Flyweight Champion who had defended his title twice.

And you do not just beat a world champion like that without having the skills necessary to do so, in your opponent’s backyard, against all odds. Naito overcame Dejdamrong’s tremendous world-class striking prowess to win by submission within four rounds of a terribly grueling contest, and it was impressive, to say the least.

This Friday, 7 October, the unbeaten Naito (11-0) takes on undefeated young gun Joshua Pacio (8-0) of the Philippines at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS in Yangon’s Thuwunna Indoor Stadium. On the line will be Naito’s ONE Strawweight World Championship, marking Naito’s first title defense.

Naito has the ability to hold on to the title for a very long time, but to get the ball rolling he’ll have to prove that he is not only able to beat an established champion in Dejdamrong, but also a high-flying upstart such as Pacio.

Win or lose, there’s no doubt Naito has the skills necessary to be able to successfully defend his belt, and build his own legacy.

#1 Underrated striking

It takes a true martial artist to become a complete fighter like Yoshitaka Naito. The Japanese champion may have more submission victories under his belt, but that does not mean he is a dud in the standup.

Naito sets up his combinations very nicely. It just so happens that his biggest strength lies in grappling. But to be able to supplement those world-class grappling skills, Naito has to possess a solid striking game to go along with it.

The 32-year-old made a name for himself in Japan’s world-famous Korakuen Hall competing for Shooto, and you do not get by a slew of Japan’s best fighters without having the striking skills to round out your overall game.

Do not sleep on Naito’s striking — it may not be the highlight of the package, but it is surely enough to keep opponents wary.

#2 World-class grappling skills

There is a lot to be said about Japanese fighters and grappling. It is just a natural fit. Take a look at the landscape of Japanese fighters and you’ll know see how Yoshitaka Naito is cut from the same cloth as fighters like Shinya Aoki.

The Japanese take pride in their craft, and grappling is perfected through the constant sharpening of skills. Naito hasn’t been in the game as long as his seniors, but he certainly absorbed their tenacity on the ground.

Make no mistake about it, Naito is a grappler through and through. Despite his up-to-par striking skills, Naito’s strengths lie in driving an opponent to the mat and keeping him there, testing his ability to defend against multiple submissions.

When Naito takes on Pacio this Friday night, he will most definitely want to take the Filipino to the ground. Pacio is a wushu expert who has honed his skills with his teammates at the famed Team Lakay, and although he has better than average grappling skills, Naito is a different beast. Naito would do well to take this fight to the ground as soon as possible.

#3 Japanese work ethic

The one thing that sets Japanese fighters apart from the rest of the world is their insane work ethic. Naito has worked extremely hard to get to where he is in his career, and a lot of his success stems from his obsession with perfecting every aspect of his MMA game from striking to grappling.

Day in and day out, Naito hits the gym with the aim of working on every little nuance of his technique.

He makes sure that every strike he throws is crisp, clean, and accurate. He works on his takedowns and in getting his opponents to the ground where he works his magic. Then he spends hours on his grappling to make sure that once an opponent is on the ground, he can keep him there.

Japanese people are some of the hardest workers in the world. They take work very seriously. Yoshitaka Naito’s workplace is the gym and he goes in there everyday to make sure his customers, the fans, are satisfied.

Naito and Pacio are set to do battle this Friday. For Pacio, it is the biggest fight of his young career. For Naito, it could very well be just another day at the office.

A personal account analyzing an upcoming bantamweight bout at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS in Yangon by ONE Championship lead commentator and Fox Sports Presenter Steve Dawson.

I am going to break a primary rule of journalism and make this story on other people about myself. Every rule is meant to be broken, or at least bent. If nothing else, the act of breaking well-conceived rules underscores their legitimacy.

I went to Baguio 10 months ago to shoot a documentary on Kevin Belingon, the fleet-footed, hard-hitting bantamweight from Team Lakay. I charted his career during the build up to a world title fight he had been craving against ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes. 

Having spoken previously to the Brazilian Fernandes at some length, I was rather torn as to whom I wanted to win (a journalist is rarely devoid of partisanship; it is professional objectivity that leads his published opinion). Nonetheless, I was totally convinced about who actually would.

Styles make fights, and ability determines them. Fernandes was always the more likely victor, but in some ways I was grateful not to be available for commentary that night in China. Belingon’s journey to the title shot had been characterised by ups and downs. His character had therefore been tested enough and I had not relished being witness to another change in fortune.

Concurrently on the bantamweight spectrum, another fighter had caught my eye. I have a fondness for the standup game, and those who attack sweetly with balance and evasive movement catch my attention more than those who do not. 

Muin Gafurov had been doing just that. Prodigiously young, Gafurov displayed all the skills I needed to see, luring me into labelling him a future world champion.  

When Matt Hume conjured a matchup for the ages between him and Reece McLaren, I had little doubt that the now 20-year-old would overcome it.

Some fighters, I never speak to. Critics might label that to be poor practice for a commentator. But I think it serves me well on the whole. You remain detached, you observe rather than immerse. Nonetheless, I had spoken to Filipino bantamweight Mark Striegl and found him and his delightful wife to be worthy friends.

So when McLaren stunned Striegl in Manila last December, it was a startling moment. Not enough, however, to prepare me for the shock of McLaren beating Gafurov this past April in Manila.

And so, on Friday in Myanmar, Belingon faces Gafurov in a fight that both need to win. A future world champion really should not be losing twice in a row, even if Gafurov is still very young.  Similarly, a roller-coaster career really ought not to take another dip, even if Belingon has faced a career’s worth of top-notch mixed martial artists.

And so, the partisan element of my character will be tested and shredded once more. It is precisely because you the reader do not care, that one should not make this kind of story about one’s self. But the fact is, as immersed as I am in these two careers, I find it hard to extricate myself sufficiently to find a winner. That is also why it is such a good match.

I have a feeling this will go the distance and that the decision will be split.

Steve Dawson is ONE Championship’s lead commentator, a Fox Sports presenter and an author of sporting biographies. He can be found on Twitter & Instagram as @Gulasahi and on Facebook as Steve Dawson.