Taio Asahisa (born 16 January 1998) 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 fighting in the lightweight division of K-1, where he is the reigning champion. As of May 2021, he was the #1 ranked Super Bantamweight in the world according to Combat Press.

Kickboxing career

Super Bantamweight career

Asahisa was schooled in Asahisa karate by his father, who had developed the style, and participated in numerous amateur karate and kickboxing competitions from a young age. He was most notably eliminated from the All Japan Junior Kick competitions two years in a row by

Tenshin Nasukawa is a Japanese professional kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. A generational talent, Nasukawa was regarded as a pound for pound talent throughout most of his career as a professional kickboxer and is regarded as one of the greatest kic ...

, and by

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 first round of the 2014 K-1 Koshien tournament. Asahisa made his professional debut on September 21, 2014, at the age of 16, being scheduled to fight Masachika Morimoto in the quarterfinals of the 2014 J-Fight Next Generation Cup. He beat Morimoto by unanimous decision, winning the fight by 20-18 on two of the three judges scorecards. Advancing to the semifinals, Asahisa faced Takaya Ogura. He managed to knock Ogura down late in the first round, and won by technical knockout nine seconds into the second round. Asahisa fought the WPMF Japan Bantamweight champion Teru in the finals and won the fight by unanimous decision. Aside from winning the tournament title, Asahisa was awarded ¥300,000 in prize money. Asahisa was scheduled to make his K-1 debut against Namito Izawa at Krush 49. The fight was ruled as a draw, after the first three rounds of the bout, and went into an extra extension round. Izawa won the extra round of all three of the judges scorecards. Asahisa was scheduled to make his second promotional appearance against Chikara Iwao at Krush 54. He achieved his first win with the promotion by majority decision. Asahisa lost his next fight against Keisuke Ishida by unanimous decision, with Ishida clearly winning two of the three rounds of the bout. Asahisa moved away from K-1 for his next two fights. He would win a decision against Chibita at Pound for Pound vol.5 and lose a decision against Kim Sang-Jae at MAX FC. He returned to K-1 to face

Haruma Saikyo Haruma Saikyo is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. He is the former Krush Featherweight champion. As of 1 August 2020, he is ranked the #9 strawweight in the world by Combat Press. Kickboxing career After going 2-1 in his fir ...

K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg World Tournament The year 2016 is the 24th year in the history of the K-1. 2016 starts with K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament. List of events K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament ''K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament'' was a kickboxing event ...

. Saikyo was the more dominant party in the first round, while Asahisa was more successful in pressuring Saikyo in the second and third round. Saikyo won the fight by majority decision, with two of the judges awarding him a 30-29 scorecard.

Super Featherweight career

First Krush Super Featherweight tournament

For his next fight, Asahisa moved up from Krush's super bantamweight (55kg) category up to super featherweight (60kg), having amassed a 5-4 record at 55kg. He was scheduled to fight

Fumiya Osawa Fumiya Osawa (born 11 September 1991) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently fighting in the lightweight division of K-1 and Krush, where he is the incumbent Krush Lightweight champion. Osawa is the 2018 K-1 Lightweight Grand Prix finalist. Kickb ...

at Krush 70. Asahsisa won the closely contested fight by majority decision. Following his successful divisional debut, Asahisa took part in the Krush Super Featherweight tournament. He was scheduled to face

Sano Tenma Sano Tenma (佐野天馬, born July 25,1997) is a Japanese kickboxer who has fought in K-1, Krush, and Glory of Heroes. Championships and awards Professional *Bigbang ** 2017 Bigbang Featherweight Champion (1 defense) * Krush ** 2014 Krush ...

at Krush 73, in the tournament quarterfinals. Asahisa won the fight by unanimous decision. Two months later, Asahisa fought

Leona Pettas is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super featherweight division of K-1, where he is the Super Featherweight champion. He took the family name of his first trainer Karateka Nicholas Pettas. Pettas is the 2022 K-1 Super Featherw ...

in the tournament semifinals, and lost by a dominant unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27). Asahisa suffered the first knockdown of his professional career in the first round of the fight.

Chinese circuit

After a loss to Wang Wanben at Wu Lin Feng 2017 World Championship Xi'an, Asahisa returned to K-1 to fight the one-time Krush Featherweight title challenger Tatsuya Oiwa at Krush 82. Asahisa won the fight by unanimous decision, managing to knock down Oiwa in the first round. Asahisa was next scheduled to fight Shue Shenzheng at the Wu Lin Feng 2018: -60kg World Championship Tournament, in a reserve bout of a WLF 60kg bout. He won the fight by decision. Asahisa extended his winning streak to three with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Satomi Yuzuki at Krush 91. Asahisa was scheduled to make his return to K-1 at K-1 World GP 2018: K-1 Lightweight World Tournament, being scheduled to fight the former Krush Featherweight champion

Riku Anpo is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the featherweight division of K-1. He is the former Krush Super Featherweight champion. Kickboxing career Super featherweight Anpo made his professional debut against Takayuki Tsujita at HOOST CU ...

. After a slow start in the first round, Asahisa began to build momentum from the second round onwards, managing to knock Anpo down in the dying seconds of the last round. Asahisa would win the fight by a unanimous decision, with two of the three judges scoring the bout 30-26 in his favor.

Second Krush Super Featherweight tournament

Asahisa once again took part in a Krush Super Featherweight tournament, with the quarterfinal bout being held at Krush 98. He was scheduled to fight a rematch with the

. Although the fight was closer than their first meeting, Pettas nonetheless won the bout by unanimous decision, eliminating Asahisa in the first round of the tournament. Asahisa rebounded from his second loss to Pettas with a unanimous decision victory against Naoki Yamamoto at Krush 101. He was afterwards scheduled to fight Tomoya Yokoyama at Krush 104. Asahisa had a slow start to the fight, with all three judges scoring the first round as a draw. Asahisa built momentum as the fight went on, winning the bout by unanimous decision. Asahisa's last fight at 60kg was against Narufumi Nishimoto at Krush 107. He won the fight by a second-round knockout, dropping Nishimoto with a left body kick in the last minute of the second round.

Lightweight career

Asahisa vs. Hayashi

Asahisa stepped in on a four days notice to fight the reigning K-1 Lightweight champion Kenta Hayashi at K-1 World GP 2020: K’Festa 3. Hayashi was originally scheduled to fight Shuai Zhu, before the fight was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The replacement opponent, Kim Falk, was likewise later removed from the card and replaced by Asahisa for the same reason. Asahisa weighed in 2.2kg lighter than his opponent and came into the fight as a significant underdog. Hayashi was at the time considered to be the best kickboxer under 65kg. During the first round of the bout, Asahisa fought on the outside and attempted to keep distance from the advancing Hayashi. 41 seconds into the second round, however, Asahisa landed a jumping switch kick which resulted in a knockdown. Asahisa pressured after the fight resumed, scoring a second knockdown at the 1:44 minute mark of the second round. Although he failed to score the third knockdown, Asahisa was in control of the remainder of the fight, winning the unanimous decision by a wide margin. Two of the three judges scored the fight 30-26 in his favor, while the third judge scored the fight 29-26 in his favor. His victory over the world's best lightweight at the time was considered a massive upset. During the press conference, Asahisa stated he would move up to lightweight permanently, and further expressed his desire to fight for the K-1 Lightweight title.

Hiroki and Hasumi bouts

Asahisa was scheduled to fight Hiroki at K-1 World GP 2020 in Osaka, in his second fight at lightweight. Asahisa defeated Hiroki by second round high kick knockout, having been knocked down in the first round. Combat Press would later awarded Asahisa "Knockout of the Year" honors for this knockout. Asahisa was scheduled to fight Hikaru Hasumi at K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout. During the third round, Asahisa injured Hasumi's knee with an inside leg kick. This was quickly followed by a knee to Hasumi's body, which resulted in a knockdown. Despite Hasumi standing up in time for the eight-count, the referee decided to stop the fight.

K-1 Lightweight champion

Asahisa was scheduled to fight the reigning K-1 Lightweight champion

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 K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka. Asahisa had previously beat Kenta Hayashi, then the K-1 Lightweight champion, in a non-title bout, while Gonnapar became the champion after dethroning Hayashi at K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout. At the time of the bout's scheduling, Asahisa and Gonnapar were considered the #1 and #2 ranked fighters under 64kg. Following a closely contested three rounds, the fight was declared a majority draw. Two of the judges scored it an even 29-29, while the third judge scored it 29-28 in favor of Asahisa. Accordingly, an extra round was fought, after which Asahisa was awarded a split decision. Asahisa faced Yuki Yoza in a non-title bout at K-1 World GP 2022 Japan on February 27, 2022. The fight was ruled a draw after the first three rounds, with two judges scoring the bout an even 30–30 draw, while the third judge scored the bout 30–28 in favor of Yoza. An extension round was therefore contested, after which Yoza was awarded the unanimous decision victory. Asahisa made his first K-1 Lightweight title defense against

Yuki Yoza is a Japanese karateka, professional kickboxer and the current K-1 Lightweight champion. As of 3 April 2023, Yoza is ranked the #1 super-bantamweight kickboxer in the world by Combat Press. As of April 2023, Yoza is ranked the #1 featherweight ...

at K-1 World GP 2023: K'Festa 6 on March 12, 2023, in what was an immediate rematch of his upset loss to Yoza the previous year.

Titles and accomplishments

* K-1 ** 2021 K-1 World GP Japan Lightweight Champion *J-NETWORK **2014 J-Network Next Generation Cup -55kg Winner Awards * 2020 Combat Press Knockout of the Year * July 2021 eFight.com Fighter of the Month * 2021 K-1 Outstanding Performance Award

Kickboxing record

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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, ...

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Kongnapa 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. A ...

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Fukuoka, Japan is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

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Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

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 ...

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Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

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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 ...

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Osaka, Japan is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third most populous city in Ja ...

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Jiaozuo Jiaozuo ( ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to the east, Jiyuan to the ...

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 ...

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Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

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Kyushu, Japan is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

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Namito Izawa Namito Izawa is a Japanese kickboxer. Titles and accomplishments Professional * 2016 Hero Legends -57kg Champion * 2014 Hero Legends -57kg World Tournament Champion Amateur * 2009 K-3 Grand Prix Lightweight Champion * 2008 K-3 Grand Prix L ...

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Takaya Ogura Takaya Ogura (小倉尚也, born 26 May 1994) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super bantamweight division of K-1. In August 2021, Combat Press ranked him as the #9 flyweight kickboxer in the world. Kickboxing career K-1 Ea ...

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, , Decision , , 2 , , 2:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asahisa, Taio 1998 births Bantamweight kickboxers Living people Japanese male kickboxers Sportspeople from Fukuoka Prefecture People from Ukiha, Fukuoka