“He needed to change the game plan” – Shimon Yoshinari explains how adversity forced him to adapt and abandon the knockout hunt

Shimon Yoshinari walked into ONE SAMURAI 1 hunting a spectacular finish. The Japanese star quickly realized the night was going to demand something very different from him, though.

The Eiwa Sports Gym representative defeated Johan “Jojo” Ghazali via unanimous decision in their flyweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE SAMURAI 1 inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on April 29.

The triumph was one of the most stunning upsets of the star-studded card, but the path Shimon Yoshinari had to navigate to get there was anything but smooth.

The Japanese contender had spent his entire camp training to chase a finish. Adversity, however, struck early in the contest when the Superbon Training Camp and Rentap Muaythai Gym fighting pride rocked him with a clean shot.

From that moment onward, the win became the only objective — and that meant rewriting his game plan in real time.

Speaking to Nick Atkin via translator after his statement win inside the Japanese capital city, Shimon walked through the midfight mental shift.

“Yeah, well, you know, he’s been practicing, training to knock out the opponent, so that is actually, you know, it’s kind of frustrating that he couldn’t get a knockout,” Shimon Yoshinari said. “But in the game, when he got knocked down, his plan is to win, you know.”

The Japanese star continued, “He needed to change the game plan, so it is what it is, yeah.”

Check out his full interview with Atkin below:

Shimon Yoshinari sings praise for ‘very tough’ Johan Ghazali

While he got his hand raised inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, Shimon Yoshinari was quick to credit his fallen foe in the aftermath of their ONE SAMURAI 1 barnburner duel.

During the exchange with Atkin, the Eiwa Sports Gym affiliate, who is cousins with ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Nadaka, gave the Malaysian-American teenager his well-deserved flowers.

“He was strong, and he was very tough in the ring,” the Japanese striker said.

The Japanese star may have walked away frustrated that the knockout never came, but the lesson he leaves Ariake Arena with is priceless. His arrival in flyweight Muay Thai is no longer up for debate.