Daizo Sasaki (born 20 November 1990) is a Japanese

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

, currently competing in the super lightweight divisions of

Krush Krush were a UK dance music group, who had a crossover hit single with "House Arrest" in 1987. Career The group consisted of musicians Mark Gamble, Cassius Campbell and record producers Mark Brydon and Robert Gordon. Ruth Joy was the featured ...

and K-1. He is the former Krush Super Lightweight champion, the former Krush Lightweight champion, the 2018 K-1 Super Lightweight Grand Prix finalist and a one-time K-1 World GP Super Lightweight title challenger. As of June 2022, Sasaki is the #6 ranked featherweight in the world according to Combat Press. He's been continuously ranked in the featherweight top ten since February 2021.

Kickboxing career

Lightweight career

Krush lightweight tournament

At a press conference held by

on December 2, 2015, it was announced that Sasaki would be one of eight participants in the 2016 Krush lightweight tournament, held to fill the throne left vacant by

Hideaki Yamazaki Hideaki Yamazaki ( 山崎秀晃, born February 5, 1987) is a Japanese Shotokan kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2009, Yamazaki is the former Krush Lightweight and Krush Sup ...

. Sasaki faced Hisaki Higashimoto at Krush 62 on January 17, 2016, in the tournament quarterfinals. He won the fight by majority decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 30–29 in his favor, while the third judge scored it an even 30–30 draw. Advancing to the tournament semifinals, held at Krush 64 on March 20, 2016, Sasaki was booked to face Takayuki Minamino. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 30–29 for him, while the third judge awarded him a 30–28 scorecard. Sasaki faced the 2014 K-1 Koshien super lightweight champion

Ren Hiramoto Ren Hiramoto (born 27 June 1998; ) is a Japanese people, Japanese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently fighting in the featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2015, he is the ...

in the tournament finals, in the main event of Krush 66 on June 12, 2016. He won the fight by majority decision, with two scorecards of 29–28 and one scorecard of 29–29.

Krush lightweight title reign

Sasaki made his first title defense against Hiroto Iwasaki, in the co-main event of Krush.70 on October 15, 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–27 and 30–26. He scored the sole knockdown of the fight in the second round, dropping Iwasaki with a right hook. Sasaki was booked to face

Wei Rui Wei Rui () is a Chinese Sanda kickboxer who currently fights out of Da Dong Xiang fight club. On February 25, 2017, he won the K-1 World GP Lightweight Champions belt making him China's first K-1 World Champion. As of September 2022, he is ra ...

in the quarterfinals of the 2017 K-1 World GP Lightweight Championship Tournament, held on February 25, 2017. He lost to the eventual tournament winner by a second-round knockout. Sasaki made his second Krush lightweight title defense against Toshiki Taniyama at Krush 78 on August 6, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sasaki faced

at K-1 World GP 2017 Heavyweight Championship Tournament on November 23, 2017. The bout was a rematch of their Krush 66 fight, which Sasaki won by majority decision. He was less successful in their second meeting, as Hiramoto won the fight by unanimous decision. Sasaki made his third Krush title defense against

Gonnapar Weerasakreck Kongnapa (or Gonnapar) Weerasakreck is a Thai Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is the former K-1 Lightweight champion and former Krush Lightweight champion. After having over a hundred fights in Thailand, Gonnapar moved to Japan in 2010. ...

at Krush.87 on April 22, 2017. Gonnapar won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 30–26 in his favor. Sasaki was knocked down in the third round, as Gonnapar dropped him with a right hook.

Super Lightweight career

K-1 Super Lightweight Grand Prix

Sasaki faced Wang Zhiwei in a -64 kg catchweight bout in his next bout, at Krush.90 on July 22, 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with two scorecards of 30–29 and one scorecard of 30–28. After successfully rebounding from his title loss, it was revealed that Sasaki would participate in the 2018 K-1 World GP Super Lightweight Championship Tournament on November 3, 2018. He was booked to face Sam Hill in the tournament quarterfinals. Sasaki won the quarterfinal bout against Sam Hill by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–28 and 30–27. He faced the former

super lightweight champion Jun Nakazawa in the penultimate bout of the tournament. Sasaki won the fight by unanimous decision as well. Sasaki faced the two-time K-1 super lightweight tournament winner

Kaew Fairtex Kaew Fairtex ( Thai: แก้ว แฟร์เท็กซ์; born, September 5, 1984) is a Thai kickboxer and the former WBC Muay Thai World champion at super featherweight and current WPMF World champion at super lightweight. He trains out ...

in the tournament finals. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the fight 30–29 for Kaew, while the third judge scored the bout 29–28 in his favor.

Pre-Krush title reign bouts

Sasaki was booked to fight the

Rukiya Anpo is a Japanese kickboxer, who commpeted in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions of K-1. A professional competitor since 2011, he is the former K-1 Super Lightweight champion and the 2021 K-1 welterweight Grand Prix runner-up. As o ...

at K-1 World GP 2019: K'FESTA 2 on March 10, 2019. Anpo won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Sasaki faced the former RISE Lightweight and KNOCK OUT Super Lightweight champion

Fukashi Mizutani Fukashi Mizutani (不可思, born 17 June 1991), known simply as Fukashi (ふかし), is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2008, he previously competed for KNOCK ...

at K-1 World GP 2019: Super Bantamweight World Tournament on June 30, 2019. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. He cut Fukashi with a spinning backfist in the second round, which prompted the referee to call in the ringside physician, who allowed the fight to go on. The doctor was called in the more times before the fight was finally waved off near the end of the third round. Although Fukashi complained that he was hit with the forearm instead of the back of the fist, both the referee and K-1 producer Takumi Nakamura deemed the strike to have been legal.

Krush Super Lightweight champion

Sasaki faced the Krush Super Lightweight champion Hayato Suzuki in a non-title bout at K-1 World GP 2019 Yokohamatsuri on November 24, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–28 and 29–28. An immediate rematch was booked for Krush.111 on February 24, 2020, with Suzuki's Krush Super lightweight title on the line. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judge scoring the bout 30–26 in his favor. Sasaki scored the sole knockdown of the fight in the second round, dropping Suzuki with a right hook. Sasaki made the first defense of his newly acquired title against the 2016 K-1 Koshien super lightweight champion Kensei Kondo. The bout was scheduled as the main event of Krush 114, which took place on July 11, 2020. He won the fight by a dominant unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him a 30–26 scorecard. Sasaki faced Kota Nakano in a non-title bout at Krush.118 on October 17, 2020. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 29–28, 29–28 and 30–28. Sasaki returned to K-1 for his next bout, as he was booked to face

Tetsuya Yamato is a Japanese Lightweight kickboxer. He won the Japanese national K-1 tournament as a Lightweight in 2010. Background Yamato was born in Chita, Aichi, Japan on December 10, 1987 as Tetsuya Iwashita. He took the name Yamato in honour of his gy ...

at K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout on December 13, 2020. He won the fight by a unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 30–29 in his favor, while the third one scored it 30–28 for him. Sasaki made his second Krush title defense against Jin Hirayama at Krush 125 on May 30, 2021. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–29, 30–28 and 30–28. Sasaki faced the former K-1 Lightweight titleholder Kenta Hayashi at K-1 World GP 2021: Yokohamatsuri on September 20, 2021. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sasaki was next booked to face Vitor Tofanelli at K-1 World GP 2022 Japan on February 27, 2022. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sasaki made his third Krush title defense against Hikaru Terashima in the main event of Krush.138 on June 17, 2022. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout, stopping Terashima with a flurry of punches, after having knocked him down once previously in the round. Sasaki challenged the reigning K-1 Super Lightweight titleholder

at K-1 World GP 2022 Yokohamatsuri on June 17, 2022. The title bout was a rematch two years in the making, as Sasaki had previously beaten Yamato by unanimous decision at K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout on December 13, 2020. He lost the rematch by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–28 and 29–28. Sasaki vacated the Krush super lightweight title on December 16, 2022.

Titles and accomplishments

Professional * K-1 **2018 K-1 World Super Lightweight Tournament runner-up *

**2016 Krush Lightweight (-63 kg) Championship ***Two successful title defenses **2020 Krush Super Lightweight (-65 kg) Championship ***Three successful title defenses **Most wins in title bouts **Tied second most consecutive title defenses

Fight record

, - style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;" , 2022-09-11 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2022 Yokohamatsuri , ,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2022-06-17 , , Win , , align=left, Hikaru Terashima , , Krush.138 , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, , TKO (Ref.stoppage/punches) , , 3 , , 1:31 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc" , 2022-02-27, , Win, , align=left, Vitor Tofanelli , , K-1 World GP 2022 Japan , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2021-09-20 , , Win , , align=left, Kenta Hayashi , , K-1 World GP 2021: Yokohamatsuri , ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2021-05-30 , , Win , , align=left, Jin Hirayama , , Krush.125 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2020-12-13 , , Win , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2020-10-17 , , Win , , align=left, Kota Nakano, , Krush.118 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3, , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2020-07-11 , , Win , , align=left, Kensei Kondo, , Krush.114 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2020-02-24 , , Win , , align=left, Hayato Suzuki, , Krush.111 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2019-11-24 , , Win, , align=left, Hayato Suzuki, , K-1 World GP 2019 Yokohamatsuri , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2019-06-30, , Win , , align=left, Fukashi , , K-1 World GP 2019: Super Bantamweight World Tournament , ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying 1 ...

, , TKO (Doctor Stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:14 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2019-03-10, , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2019: K’FESTA 2 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2018-11-03 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2018: Super Lightweight Championship Tournament, Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-11-03 , , Win , , align=left, Jun Nakazawa , , K-1 World GP 2018: Super Lightweight Championship Tournament, Semi Finals , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-11-03 , , Win , , align=left, Sam Hill , , K-1 World GP 2018: Super Lightweight Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2018-07-22, , Win , , align=left, Wang Zhiwei , , Krush.90 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2018-04-22, , Loss , , align=left,

, , Krush.87 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2017-11-23, , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2017 Heavyweight Championship Tournament, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-08-06, , Win , , align=left, Toshiki Taniyama , , Krush.78 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-06-03, , Win , , align=left,

Jin Ying Jin Ying () is a Chinese Sanda kickboxer, who has throughout his career fought almost exclusively with Wu Lin Feng. He was the 2020 WLF King's Cup Runner-up. As of 1 August 2020, he is ranked the #7 bantamweight in the world by Combat Press. ...

, , Wu Lin Feng 2017: China VS Japan , ,

Changsha, China Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, ...

, , Decision (Split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2017-02-25, , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2017 Lightweight Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals , ,

, , KO (Left Hook) , , 2 , , 1:04 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-10-15, , Win , , align=left, Hiroto Iwasaki , , Krush.70 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-06-12, , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush 66: -63 kg Tournament, Final , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-03-20, , Win , , align=left, Takayuki Minamino , , Krush 64: -63 kg Tournament, Semi Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-01-17, , Win , , align=left, Hisaki Higashimoto , , Krush 62: -63 kg Tournament, Quarter Final , ,

, , Decision (Majority), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2015-10-04, , Win , , align=left, Naoki Terasaki , , Krush 59 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2015-04-12, , Loss , , align=left, Hiroto Iwasaki , , Krush 53 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2015-01-04, , Loss , , align=left, Ryuki Iwashita , , Krush 49 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2014-11-09, , Win , , align=left, Taro Hayasaka , , Krush 47 , ,

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:46 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2014-09-08, , Win , , align=left, Zhang Jouweng , , , ,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, , KO , , 1 , , , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2014-03-08, , Loss , , align=left,

Minoru Kimura is a Brazilian kickboxer of Japanese and Italian descent, fighting out of Fighting Kairos Gym. He is the former K-1 Super Welterweight champion. He has faced several notable fighters of his weight division such as Kaew Fairtex, Hideaki Yamaz ...

, , Krush 39, ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns/Left+Right Hook) , , 1 , , 2:49 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2013-11-10, , Win , , align=left, Ikki , , Krush 34 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2013-08-11, , Win , , align=left, Joe Utsunomiya , , Krush 30 , ,

, , KO (Punches & Knee) , , 1 , , 2:51 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2013-06-02, , Win , , align=left, Kengo Sonoda , , Krush-IGNITION 2013 vol.4 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2013-03-03, , Loss , , align=left,

, , Krush-IGNITION 2013 vol.2, ,

, , KO (Left Hook) , , 1 , , 2:19 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2012-12-14, , Win , , align=left, Yuki Izuka , , Krush 25 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2012-09-09, , Loss , , align=left, Hisaki Higashimoto , , Krush YOUTH GP 2012, Final , ,

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2012-09-09, , Win , , align=left, Yuya , , Krush YOUTH GP 2012, Semi Final , ,

, , Decision (Majority), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2012-07-21, , Loss , , align=left,

Hiroya Hiroya is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: Possible Writings *博也, "command, to be (classical)" *弘也, "vast, to be (classical)" *浩哉, "wide expanse, how" *裕哉, "abundant, how" *寛也, "tolerant, t ...

, , Krush.20 , ,

, , KO (Low Kick), , 3 , , 2:43 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2012-06-08, , Loss , , align=left, Atsushi Ogata , , Krush.19 , ,

, , Decision (Majority), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2011-12-09, , Loss , , align=left, Kengo Sonoda , , Krush.14 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2011-10-10 , , Loss , , align=left,

Masaaki Noiri is a Japanese kickboxer who competes in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. He began practicing karate as a young boy and had great success in both full contact karate and amateur kickboxing in his early teens, which included winning th ...

, , Krush 2011 Under-22 ~63 kg Supernova~ Tournament, Semi Finals , ,

, , KO (left hook to the body) , , 2 , , 1:42 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2011-10-10 , , Win , , align=left, Shota , , Krush 2011 Under-22 ~63 kg Supernova~ Tournament, Quarter Finals , ,

, , KO , , 3 , , 1:24 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2011-07-16 , , Win , , align=left, Hayato Uesugi , , Krush -70 kg Inaugural Tournament , ,

, , Decision (Majority), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2010-10-31 , , Loss , , align=left, "Dynamite" Takahashi Yuta , , Krush-EX ～Road to the CHAMPIONSHIP～ , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#c5d2ea;" , 2010-08-14 , , Draw , , align=left, Shunta , , Krush.9 , ,

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2010-05-27 , , Loss , , align=left, Tsuyoshi Nakashima , , Krush.7 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#FFBBBB;" , 2010-02-19 , , Loss , , align=left, Yuki Matsuno , , Krush-EX 2010 vol.1 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2009-12-04 , , Win , , align=left, Shinichiro Ishii , , Krush-EX , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2009-10-12 , , Win , , align=left, Takuya Kurokawa , , Krush-EX , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;" , 2009-05-17 , , Win , , align=left, Yuki Hayano , , Krush.3 , ,

, , KO , , 2 , , 2:31 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'': ''Legend'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sasaki, Daizo Living people 1990 births Japanese male kickboxers People from Machida, Tokyo Sportspeople from Tokyo