The Sexiest Knockout In History?

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Asian sensation Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama got back into the win column on Friday with a stunning, first-round knockout victory over Egyptian bruiser Sherif Mohamed as part of the ONE Championship “King of the Jungle” mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Singapore.

The 44 year-old Akiyama signed with ONE Championship back in 2018, but his debut at “Legendary Quest” resulted in a disappointing unanimous decision loss to Malaysian mauler Agilan Thani last July in Shanghai, China.

“I’m 44 years old but it will not affect me,” Akiyama (15-7, 2 NC) told MMA Junkie. “All my opponents are younger than me. It will be like fighting with my son. I feel better than my first bout. My condition is very good.”

He may be a little over the hill, at least in terms of cage years, but the middleweight judoka remains a huge star overseas, thanks to his stellar run for both K-1 and DREAM, where he disposed of longtime veterans Melvin Manhoef and Denis Kang, among others.

“King of the Jungle” was held behind closed doors as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.