On Friday, September 6, ONE Championship returns to Colorado at the Ball Arena. A strawweight battle has been added to the lineup at ONE 168: Denver. #4-ranked contender Hiroba Minowa will battle Sanzhar Zakirov as both look to put themselves in position for title consideration.
Minowa has long been a contender in the division for ONE. However, recent troubles against the division’s toughest contenders took him back to the drawing board. The Japanese star dropped decisions against Jarred Brooks, Bokang Masunyane, and Gustavo Balart.
The 25-year-old bounced back at ONE Fight Night 23 in July. In a hard-fought contest, Minowa edged Jeremy Miado by a split decision. Still ranked in the top five of the division, the STF athlete hopes to start another winning streak and prove he has grown since his last bid against the division’s elite.
GROUNDED KNEE🦵💥 Hiroba Minowa rallies to a split decision win over Jeremy Miado!
Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 23!#ONEFightNight23 | 🔴 Live Now
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Live on Prime 👉 https://t.co/SeNWVyNS9p
🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Live on Sky Sports… pic.twitter.com/EGjFUDapJj— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 6, 2024
Zakirov is getting a chance to shine with this opportunity. The Uzbekistan athlete has been true to his “Tornado” nickname with a 3-0 start on ONE Friday Fights. Now, he will move to a higher platform on Prime Video against a ranked opponent.
The 21-year-old began his ONE tenure with a TKO win over Dave Bangguigui at ONE Friday Fights 28 last August. He followed that up with a clean unanimous decision win at ONE Friday Fights 42 over Zaiundin Suleimanov in November before adding another TKO against Ryosuke Honda this past March at ONE Friday Fights 54. The streak proved he was ready for more significant competition.
The strawweight matchup adds more international flavor to the ONE 168 lineup. One of the year’s biggest events keeps growing, adding more exciting contests. ONE 168 airs live and free on Prime Video on Friday, September 6, and tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
