Tomoya Yokoyama retained the K-1 World GP super featherweight title in Tokyo on September 12, stopping Cambodia's Thun Menghong with a left straight in the second round. The champion scored three knockdowns before the referee waved the bout off at 1:25 of round two.
A first defence settled by the left hand
Menghong, the Xtreme Cambodia Kun Khmer -60kg champion, did not arrive to concede. In the opening round he roared forward, pressing Yokoyama back and staggering him with a left hook after the champion had landed a left to the body.
Yokoyama reset in the second. He planted his feet, rotated through his punches, and built to the left straight that put Menghong down. The same shot produced all three knockdowns, closing the fight inside the distance.
The long road to the seventh champion
Yokoyama's route to the belt was never straightforward. He lost the sixth K-1 World GP super featherweight tournament final to Remy Para in May 2025, then beat Leona Petas that November.
When Para later vacated the title, Yokoyama — interim champion after knocking out Yuta Matsuyama in May 2026 — was recognised as the division's seventh champion. This was his first defence, and he had asked for "someone strong" rather than an easy night.
Menghong arrived with a record of 45 wins, 33 by knockout, and a reputation for firefights. Yokoyama finished him and then took the microphone to set his sights on the division's past.
"I may not be able to become Takeru, but I can surpass him," he told the crowd afterwards. "K-1 is the best."
A statement beyond the belt
Yokoyama framed the defence as taking the title again, rather than merely holding it. His first defence closed in under two rounds and left no doubt about the outcome.
