ONE 173 preview and prediction: Nabil Anane vs. Hiromi Wajima

(From left) Nabil Anane and Hiromi Wajima meet in a featherweight kickboxing matchup in Tokyo. [Images: ONE Championship]
Nabil Anane (left) and Hiromi Wajima (right) meet in a featherweight kickboxing matchup in Tokyo. [Image courtesy: ONE Championship]

Reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane switches disciplines and moves up a division to welcome former K-1 champion Hiromi Wajima to the world's largest martial arts organization this Sunday, Nov. 16.

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Their featherweight kickboxing tiff will be part of the star-studded ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri inside the state-of-the-art Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The 21-year-old Thai-Algerian faces a daunting task in one of Japan's most complete striking specialists, but he has proven time and time again that it would be unwise to count him out.

Nabil Anane has gone unbeaten in the promotion in his last eight appearances, though his kickboxing debut inside the Circle in his last outing ended in a no-contest when he challenged former flyweight kickboxing king Ilias Ennahachi at ONE Friday Fights 126 in September.

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For the Team Mehdi Zatout superstar, a victory in Japan will go a long way in his dreams to create one of the most successful world championship storylines in the promotion.

Meanwhile, Wajima has the perfect opportunity to make an immediate splash and prove his K-1 credentials translate to the global stage.

Here's our official prediction for this featherweight kickboxing tiff at ONE 173, which will broadcast live via pay-per-view this Sunday. PPV passes are available here.

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Prediction: Nabil Anane beats Hiromi Wajima via unanimous decision

Though Wajima possesses legitimate knockout power and will have the hometown crowd behind him, I see Nabil Anane's physical advantages and elite-level experience proving too much at ONE 173.

The key to victory for the reigning bantamweight Muay Thai world champion lies in his significant reach advantage – Anane stands six-foot-four while Wajima measures five-foot-eleven – combined with his ability to find the best openings and pour relentless pressure on opponents once he hurts them.

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This matchup should start at a crazy pace. Wajima will bring everything he's got and throw chopping leg kicks to slow down his much larger foe, hoping to neutralize the reach disadvantage by taking away Anane's mobility.

However, Nabil Anane shouldn't have a problem absorbing damage and countering throughout the night. The Thai-Algerian striker has proven his durability and tactical intelligence against elite competition, and his experience fighting at the highest level will serve him well against the promotional newcomer.

He'll be forced to put in extra work against a motivated Japanese fighter competing in front of his home crowd, but I see him getting his hand raised comfortably by the end of the fight as his reach, precision, and championship experience accumulate damage over three rounds.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak
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