Shinya Aoki chokes out Marat Gafurov in Jakarta

A special attraction was presented to a packed Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia this past Saturday, 20 January. 

Japanese martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki challenged Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in ONE’s second-ever Grappling Super-Match at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, and it was Aoki who walked out the winner.

Both competitors were looking to put their careers back on track. Aoki was riding a two-bout win streak heading into the clash, which started when he dropped the ONE Lightweight World Championship to Eduard Folayang in November 2016. 

Similarly, Gafurov was looking to rebound from his upset loss to Martin Nguyen last August, which saw him drop the ONE Featherweight World Championship.

With only submissions possible and no judges to score the contest, this bout was an “all or nothing” affair. As such, the battle to get the takedown was fierce from the opening bell, with Aoki chasing a single leg immediately and getting Gafurov down to one knee in the first minute.

The match would not end so quickly, however, as Gafurov jumped right back to his feet. Both men struggled mightily to get the stronger grip on their foe, repeatedly turning each other’s back to the fence for five solid minutes.

When “Cobra” appeared to be gaining an advantage, the Japanese legend spread his stance wide to keep Gafurov from taking him off his feet. At the five and a half minute mark, Aoki spun around and tried to bring “Cobra” to the ground, but it proved unfruitful. 

The Dagestani then spun Aoki back around and went hard for a double leg, but to no avail. It remained strategic, with “Tobikan Judan” leaning on his nemesis to tire him out.

The grueling 15-minute round finally took its toll on Gafurov in the final legs of the Grappling Super-Match, as he ran out of gas on a final attempt to pull Aoki to the mat. 

The attempt wound up pulling the Japanese icon into position for a top mount, and in quick succession he moved to side control, and then to the back. From there, he put his hooks in and locked in a rear-naked choke — a Gafurov’s very own signature move — and forced the tap at 12:22 of the 15-minute round.

Both men put on a worthwhile match, and showed how effective and strategic grappling can be. But now, they will continue their cage careers and return to the world title chase in their respective divisions.