Yoshitaka Naito Embraces Underdog Role Ahead of ONE Championship Title Challenge

Yoshitaka Naito has been on the MMA scene for much longer than Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and has nearly twice as many fights to his name, but the Shooto champion still feels like an underdog going onto this Friday’s title match in Bangkok.

At ONE: Kingdom of Champions, Naito will be challenging for Dejdamrong’s strawweight title. He already holds the Shooto belt in the division and boasts a 10-0 record, but knows the magnitude of this fight is far greater than any of his previous ones.

“He’s a big name. But I can’t challenge a Lumpinee champion that often, so it is an honor, even though my ability is unknown (outside of Japan).”

That the top-ranked Japanese fighter in the division should feel he is living in the shadow of a fighter from Thailand goes to show just how dramatically the power has shifted in Asian MMA. Naito will be getting a career high pay day for fighting Dejdamrong in Bangkok, but he will also be competing outside of his homeland for the very first time.

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All ten of his previous fights were on Shooto cards in Japan and Naito recognizes that, as well as being a step up, this is also something of a step into the unknown.

“It’s my very first fight overseas, so I’m a bit nervous, but also excited at the same time. It’s my first time fighting out of Japan and also the first time fighting a foreign fighter, so it’s an honor, but it’s just that he’s so strong for my first opponent overseas.”

Naito’s never lost a fight in professional MMA, let alone been stopped, but he did experience defeat as an amateur and is extremely wary of Dejdamrong’s striking skills.

“My weakness is the stand-up fight, Muay Thai and kickboxing. Dejdamrong has good kicks and also it’s my first time fighting in a rule with soccer kicks, so I have to be careful about that.”

Naito has four submission wins to his name and while he can’t compete with Dejdamrong in stand-up terms, the Japanese fighter feels he has at least one potential path to victory.

“Compared to his Muay Thai skills (Dejdamrong’s) weakness is the ground game. If I can win, it will be on the ground.”

Looking at the list of opponents Naito has already beaten, it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that he’s being overly deferential. The 32-year-old has faced some of the best fighters in the division while they were at the peak of their power and has always emerged victorious.

He’s beaten seasoned veterans and defeated up-and-coming young contenders. Naito has been in with better fighters than Dejdamrong and the bookmakers have this title match-up virtually dead even, which makes his humble attitude slightly surprising.

Perhaps Naito is concerned because he is fighting outside of his homeland for the first time and doesn’t want to could come across as arrogant. Whatever the reason, he is determined to give Dejdamrong his props.

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“Dejdamrong is a legend and I’m sure the crowd will be cheering for him mad, but still it’s an honor for me to be able to challenge a guy like him.”

However, Naito does have a few words for Friday night’s opponent that perhaps give a better insight into his current state of mind.

“In the fight, I will kill you, but after that let’s be friends.”

We will have to wait until the fighters enter the cage in the Impact Arena on Friday night to find out whether Naito is genuinely intimidated by Dejdamrong or is intentionally casting himself in the underdog role in order to heap further pressure upon his opponent.

He’s unlikely to defeat the Muay Thai veteran in a striking match, but if the fight goes to the ground, the reigning Shooto strawweight champion must surely be confident he can add a ONE Championship title to the collection.