Highly-Touted Pancrase Champion To Make ONE Championship Debut In March

From fearless strikers to elite submission grapplers, Japan has provided the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) with a long list of extraordinary athletes revered by fans across the globe.

On March 25 (March 24 in the United States), an up-and-coming Japanese star will begin his journey to earn his right to stand should-to-shoulder with the country's household names such as Shinya Aoki, Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi, Kazushi Sakuraba, and the late Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Keito Yamakita is set to make his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 9, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Japanese outlet Abema Times first broke the news on social media on Tuesday, February 14.

The 27-year-old native of Inabe, Japan is undefeated, holding an immaculate professional record of 7-0 with two wins by submission and one via knockout.

Yamakita made a name for himself through Pancrase—a legendary local MMA organization that also served as a platform for beloved legends like Bas Rutten, Chael Sonnen, and Ken and Frank Shamrock, as well as Jose Aldo, Josh Barnett, and Nate Diaz.

From 2020 to 2021, he racked up six-straight victories, which led him to a shot at Daichi Kitakata's Pancrase strawweight championship in July 2022.

The blue-chip prospect figured in a war of attrition with Daichi Kitakata, but he managed to walk away with the unanimous decision victory to take home the silver-plated strap.

The title-clinching performance paved the way for him to garner a spot on the main roster of ONE Championship.

The man tasked to bestow his welcoming rites is none other than former ONE strawweight champion Alex Silva.

"Little Rock" owns a win-loss slate of 12-8 with 10 submission wins under his belt.

The past three years have nothing been short of turbulent for Silva as he has lost four of his last seven outings.

Silva is aiming for redemption after yielding to Gustavo Balart by way of split decision in October 2022.

Several matches have been confirmed to be part of ONE Fight Night 8, including the super-fight between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE flyweight kickboxing championship and the ONE women's atomweight Muay Thai title unification between Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and Janet Todd.