1R
Wicky is a southpaw fight who fights with his hands down.

He throws a left middle kick to open the fight and smiles. But Hiroya does what he always does, focusing on his low right kicks. Wicky smiles and eggs Hiroya on, sinking down and smiling, as if to say “bring it”. He shoots a left straight, and then a knee kick to the body. The round ends with a mixture of Hiroya’s right straights and low kicks, and Wicky’s right low kicks and hooks from both hands.

2R
Wicky throws a right uppercut, and Hiroya returns this with a right straight. Wicky comes forward with his favorite low right roundhouse kicks to the legs of Hiroya. Hiroya starts to slow increase the pressure and take control through his low right roundhouse kicks to the legs of Wicky.
Wicky again smiles, sinking down and taunting, and starts dodging Hiroya’s kicks.
Wicky throws a straight, then a left hook and Hiroya hits with a nice inside right low round kick. They finish the round tit for tat, trading punches and kicks.

3R
The bells sounds and Hiroya goes right in, hitting a nice overhead right hook that catches Wicky off guard. Hiroya smells blood and keeps moving forward, cornering Wicky. They tie up and the referee immediately calls for a break as per K1 rules. Hiroya throws a right middle kick and Wicky counters with a right straight that doesn’t connect, but Hiroya slips and Wicky celebrates as if he’s knocked him down. The referee waves him away as Hiroya gets straight back up. Wicky’s cocky smile and hands down by his waist fighting style are not causing too many problems for Hiroya so far.

Hiroya throws a right round kick to the head and then follows up with a nice jab, evading Wicky’s jab. As Wicky throws a wild right hook without watching, Hiroya catches him flush on the chin with a right hook that sends Wicky down to the canvas. Hiroya slipped while doing so but is straight back on his feet. Wicky slowly gets to his feet, the impact of the punch now clear. The referee restarts the match after an 8 count. After the restart, Hiroya makes quick work of his opponent, with a flush right hook that knocks Wicky down for the count and the referee stops the fight.

How is your mental state now that the fight is over?
The first two rounds I couldn’t really attack the way I wanted to but in the third round I was able to knock him out, so I think I made a good case for both myself and K1 with that knockout

What are your thoughts on the irregular way Nishiura moves?
He moved just like I thought he would. We prepared well, simulated the way he fights and even though he has strong punches, I stuck to my game plan and did the job well.

And now that you have won this fight, you can pass the baton on to Takeru (who fights on the 31st).
Takeru is really battling hard to make weight for tomorrow (30th) but when my fight was over, he messaged me to say congratulations. I feel like I can now pass the baton over to Takeru and this makes me excited. I am supporting him with all my energy and if he needs any help on the 31st I’ll be there. We both want to win badly.

Looking back, how do you think the fight went?
I lost, but I went there to show everyone what a real man looks like. I have no regrets.

Are you happy with your performance?
Yes, very much so.

When did Hiroya’s kicks start to affect you?
I didn’t feel anything during the fight, but I do now. The pain came later.

What can you take away from this loss?
I haven’t thought about that yet. I was fine in the first two rounds, and I get going in the 3rd but he got me, there’s nothing I can do about it now. There are good things and bad things to take away from the fight. There are times when nobody can finish at 100%, it’s difficult, and there are times when you are able to.