For Anastasia Nikolakakos, keeping a professional record spotless matters less than proving she belongs in the title conversation. On Friday night in Bangkok, she did both, though not without difficulty.
The Canadian improved to 7-0 with a split-decision victory over Jihin Radzuan in an atomweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 45, which streamed live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 17.
Nikolakakos controlled the opening stretch with her grappling, dragging the Malaysian into deep water on the ground. Radzuan responded in the second round, finding her footing on the feet and working from the clinch to level the contest.
The final five minutes decided the outcome. Nikolakakos leaned on her takedowns down the stretch, doing enough to edge out two of the three judges.
Nikolakakos said her preparation made the difference, even though the fight demanded more from her than expected.
"We were prepared everywhere. There are always things that you want to improve on during a fight, things you want to do more, wish that you did, but all in all, I'm very blessed, I'm very grateful, and I'm happy with the outcome," she said.
Even with the win secured, Nikolakakos was candid about how close the fight really was.
"I felt that I won unanimously. But when they said split decision, I think it was just from maybe my eye being puffy. As for my performance, I'd give myself a seven out of ten," she said.
She credited Radzuan's striking without conceding that any of it had caught her preparation off guard.
"She was strong. We expected her to be good at stand-up with good movement. So, yeah, nothing really surprised me. We knew what she was coming with," she said.
With her unbeaten record intact, Nikolakakos has set her sights on the vacant ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Championship, a title that opened up after Denice Zamboanga stepped away to focus on motherhood.
"I believe I'm next in line, and whoever it is, I will try my best to get that belt," she said.
