Yuki Yoza vs. Nabil Anane is now on the books for ONE SAMURAI 4, and that is a nasty piece of matchmaking for Tokyo. ONE confirmed Yoza and Anane will meet in a bantamweight kickboxing fight on Saturday, October 17 at Ariake Arena, adding another big striker-on-striker problem to a division that has already been warped by chaos like Superlek’s bantamweight Muay Thai title blast.
The card also picked up Shintaro Matsukura vs. Sinsamut Klinmee in lightweight kickboxing. ONE has leaned hard into its Japan stops, including the stacked ONE 172 night built around Yuya Wakamatsu, Shinya Aoki and Rodtang, and this Tokyo show is not being treated like some sleepy regional stopover. This thing is being built like a home-market banger with enough kickboxing danger to keep the judges from getting comfortable.
ONE shared the matchup poster with its complete announcement:
“This one is PERSONAL. Japanese superstar Yuki Yoza takes on Thai-Algerian striking sensation Nabil Anane in a bantamweight kickboxing showdown at ONE SAMURAI 4 in Tokyo! Who gets the last laugh on October 17?”
ONE also announced the second kickboxing matchup in full:
“BANGER INCOMING. Japanese kickboxer Shintaro Matsukura and Thai knockout artist Sinsamut are set to throw down at ONE SAMURAI 4 on October 17 in Tokyo! Who wins this explosive matchup?”
Yoza And Anane Bring Very Different Problems
Yoza enters as one of Japan’s cleanest recent striking exports. The 28-year-old Team Vasileus fighter is a former K-1 champion with a 23-3 striking record, nine stoppage wins, and a 4-1 run in ONE. His first ONE stretch was not a gentle introduction either. He beat Elbrus Osmanov, outpointed former ONE bantamweight kickboxing champion Petchtanong Petchfergus, then shocked Superlek by unanimous decision.
The only ONE stumble came in April at ONE SAMURAI 1, when Yoza went five rounds with Haggerty and came up short in his title shot. He already got back in the win column in July with a decision over Ben Woolliss at The Inner Circle 22, so this Anane fight is not a rebuild. It is a title-ladder fistfight, the kind where calf kicks, timing, and one bad defensive read can ruin a man’s night fast.
Anane is the weird riddle on the other side. The 22-year-old Algerian-Thai striker is listed at 6-foot-4, which is just rude business at bantamweight, and he brings a 41-7 striking record with 13 stoppages. He lost to Superlek in his ONE debut at 19, then ripped off five straight wins and stopped Nico Carrillo to claim interim bantamweight Muay Thai gold in 2025.
Anane later avenged the Superlek loss and was promoted to undisputed champion, before his kickboxing detour started with a no contest against Ilias Ennahachi after an accidental low blow. He beat Hiromi Wajima at featherweight kickboxing, then hit turbulence with a Muay Thai title loss to Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon in March and a split-decision loss to Suakim Pongsuphan PK in August.
That makes this booking a clean pressure test for both men. Yoza gets a gigantic former Muay Thai king standing between him and another kickboxing title push, while Anane gets a chance to stop the slide and remind everybody why his rise got so much heat in the first place.
Matsukura’s debut against Sinsamut adds another layer to the Tokyo card. Matsukura brings former K-1 middleweight champion credentials into his first ONE appearance, while Sinsamut returns to kickboxing after two failed lightweight Muay Thai title bids and a rocky recent stretch. Between that matchup, Yoza vs. Anane, and the loaded striking pieces around them, ONE SAMURAI 4 is shaping up as another reminder that Muay Thai and kickboxing may share weapons, but the rule changes can turn elite strikers into fresh problems overnight.
