Senzo Ikeda added to his hot streak with another stunning victory at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday. The Japanese veteran stopped Ryuto Sawada with a barrage of knees in the second round of their strawweight MMA clash during Part I of the historic ONE X card.
He’s now scored three straight wins in ONE Championship after a stunning body-shot knockout of Elipitua Siregar and a well-rounded decision over Liang Hui.
Given his current form, the confident 39-year-old is looking toward the division’s top five contenders, which includes #5-ranked Lito Adiwang, who defeated Ikeda with a painful TKO back in 2019.
But while the Paraestra Matsudo representative would like to earn some redemption versus the Filipino, his sights are set even higher.
Ikeda said:
“Of course, I want to take revenge against [Adiwang], but I’m not that young, so I want to fight against the strongest fighters as soon as possible.
“So either the number one or number two ranked is fine, and then I want to get a World Title shot as soon as possible.”
Jarred Brooks Is On Senzo Ikeda’s Hitlist
Senzo Ikeda is aiming for #1-ranked strawweight Bokang Masunyane and #2-ranked Jarred Brooks, but he picked out one name in particular after his victory at ONE X.
In his post-fight interview with commentator Mitch Chilson, the Sendai native called out Brooks, a brash American who’s made quite an impression since joining the organization.
Ikeda told Chilson:
“I would like to fight against the toughest opponents in this division. Jarred Brooks, I would love to fight him.”
Brooks is also in fine form, recording back-to-back wins over Adiwang and #4-ranked Hiroba Minowa while going undefeated in his last six bouts.
Those performances have “The Monkey God” on the cusp of a ONE Strawweight World Title shot against Team Lakay superstar Joshua Pacio, which makes him a target for the rest of the division.
It’s not clear whether Ikeda will get his wish, but if he ever meets Brooks in the Circle, expect nonstop action between the two live-wire athletes. (ONE FC)
(One Championship)