Shuya Kamikubo Stuns Sunoto With Second-Round TKO In Guangzhou

Shuya Kamikubo Stuns Sunoto With Second-Round TKO In Guangzhou
Shuya Kamikubo Stuns Sunoto With Second-Round TKO In Guangzhou
PHOTO: Shuya Kamikubo Stuns Sunoto With Second-Round TKO In Guangzhou

ONE Championship newcomer Shuya “Stealth” Kamikubo could not have wished for a more emphatic debut performance, as he snapped the win streak of surging Indonesian “The Terminator” Sunoto with a dominant performance.

Kamikubo’s solid work was rewarded with a TKO finish at 3:54 of the second round, as he drilled home punches and hammerfists for the victory at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS in Guangzhou, China on 7 July.

The Japanese athlete opened up with some hard low kicks, but it was “The Terminator” who struck first with the takedown. However, he couldn’t keep his man grounded, and Kamikubo quickly found his way back to his feet and attacked from the clinch. 

Kamikubo secured a takedown, and then went to work landing punches, elbows and knees from the top position.

The start of round two mirrored the first, with Sunoto landing the first takedown, but after some fierce scrambling, it was “Stealth” who finished up in a dominant position. Kamikubo used his grappling prowess to dictate proceedings from there, controlling his adversary and consistently raining down hard strikes.

The finish came as the Japanese grappler mounted his Indonesian foe, and then unloaded with a volley of strikes, forcing the referee to call a halt to the contest.

As far as debuts go, Kamikubo’s ticked all of the boxes with his domination and defeat of an experienced opponent riding an impressive win streak. 

After just one bout in the organization, he will join many of the other leading talents in the bantamweight division in the hunt for a World Title shot. His record improves to 8-1-1.

Sunoto suffers his first defeat since 2016, just as he looked on the cusp of title contendership. He was competitive, but ultimately succumbed to the superior ground acumen of his talented opponent.

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