Yuki Yoza reveals he got tips to fight Superlek by watching online footage of the Thai star: “I saw a video in the international media”

Japanese kickboxer Yuki Yoza cracked the code on one of the most complete strikers of this generation in some way.

Scrolling through international media coverage in the weeks before ONE 173, the 27-year-old Japanese striker stumbled across footage that would prove critical to his game plan.

'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 had a tell – a specific defensive reaction when opponents attacked his lead leg – and Yoza recognized the opening immediately.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena, that pre-fight discovery translated into a dominant unanimous decision victory over the pound-for-pound great in their bantamweight kickboxing clash.

So, it wasn't luck or natural talent alone that carried the Team Vasileus representative to the biggest win of his career – it was homework.

"I wasn't making any clear impact with my attacks, so I had to make sure I got the points. Before the match, I saw a video in the international media of Superlek lifting only his front leg to counter my calf kicks," Yuki Yoza explained on his official YouTube channel.

"I was sure I could do that. I went in at that timing. For Thai people, being 'knocked down' is humiliating. So I thought it would cause psychological damage."

That's fight IQ at work. Yuki Yoza knew he wasn't going to sleep the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion with a single shot, so he built his strategy around something smarter – accumulating points by exploiting a defensive habit while simultaneously attacking 'The Kicking Machine's' pride.

The calf kicks landed repeatedly. The Thai may have tried his usual counter, lifting his front leg to check incoming strikes, but every time, the Japanese slugger timed his strikes to inch-perfect precision.

Watch the clip below:

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Yuki Yoza says Nabil Anane matchup doesn't make sense to him

With the triumph in Tokyo, Yuki Yoza's record stands at 22-2 with 13 consecutive victories. More importantly, it positions him as a serious threat to ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty.

However, earlier on in the night, Nabil Anane, who was scheduled to face Haggerty at ONE 173, also claimed a win over Hiroji Wajima in his featherweight kickboxing debut.

The Thai-Algerian slugger wants a shot at the Englishman's bantamweight kickboxing gold before making a permanent switch to featherweight.

And while all signs currently point toward a world title eliminator duel between Yuki Yoza and Anane, the former isn't too keen on that idea.

"In my last fight, I beat a former champion, and in this fight, I beat Superlek. And to fight for an interim title against the unranked Nabil doesn't really make much sense to me, I would like to take the title from Haggerty and then for my first defense fight against Nabil," Yoza told members of the media at the event's post-fight press conference.