‘Show The Gap’ – Hyu Looks To Prove His Superiority Over Taiki Naito At ONE SAMURAI 1

While many opponents struggle to navigate Naito’s defensive shell, Hyu views his countryman’s style not as a complex mystery, but as a deeply flawed system waiting to be dismantled.

“Mister Pepper,” who represents Team Mehdi Zatout and TEAM3K, explained:

“He’s a defense-first fighter, but when he does let [the left hook] go, he commits fully. I’m making sure I don’t get caught with a flash knockdown from that.

“He’s weak against physical exchanges, body-to-body contact. And the only real threat in his attack is that left hook. Funnily enough, his left hook being his strength actually becomes an opportunity for me to land my counter. So overall, he has more weaknesses than strengths.”

Hyu’s supreme confidence stems directly from the countless hours spent refining his craft in the gym.

He seamlessly blends his traditional full-contact karate foundation with modern kickboxing fundamentals. Whether he throws a thudding left body kick or delivers a flying knee, the 23-year-old trusts his vast offensive arsenal to overwhelm Naito’s patient, methodical guard.

That being said, he refuses to overcomplicate the game plan, believing his physical tools simply outmatch the veteran’s capabilities in every single phase of combat:

“My overall ability is superior across the board. I just need to make sure I don’t get dropped or lose a point from that one punch. That’s it.

“I’m training to build overall ability whether I have a fight coming up or not. I’m always pushing myself. That’s where my confidence comes from.”

Hyu To Leave No Room For Excuses Against Naito

Despite Hyu Iwata’s unblemished record and an 80 percent finishing rate in ONE Championship, the Japanese star steps into the Ariake Arena carrying a massive chip on his shoulder.

“Mister Pepper” feels his true quality as a fighter is still largely misunderstood by fans watching from the outside. A quick, chaotic finish might leave room for critics to call it a lucky shot, so the undefeated phenom intends to deliver a performance so thoroughly dominant that it eliminates any possibility of an excuse. He wants to break Naito down systematically before finding the inevitable knockout.

Hyu continued:

“I feel like I’m being underestimated, so I want to clearly show the gap in our levels. If it ends too quickly, Naito might say, ‘I just got caught,’ or find some excuse. So, I want to make sure there’s no room for any of that. Show the technique, show the gap, and then finish it in a way he can’t argue with.”

When the bell finally rings at the Ariake Arena and Hyu touches gloves with Naito, ready to come out of his corner firing, he expects nothing less from his opponent than an all-out war.

But there is no outcome where Hyu sees himself losing this bout, and he’s prepared to unleash his full arsenal until he achieves what he set out to do.

The Osaka native said:

“I’m thinking about two patterns for the finish. Either something lands clean in round one – a body shot or a head strike – and it’s a knockout right there. Or we go deep into a messy three-round war, and he goes down at the end. Either one works for me. I’ll read the fight and figure out which one fits as it unfolds.”

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