The Inner Circle: “A possible dream”

Nobody handed Taiga Orii of Japan anything. He came to MMA late, started from nothing and built his case one finish at a time on the regional circuit in the Philippines.

The fruits of his hard work were on full display at The Inner Circle 17 on Friday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. That night, Orii stopped Julian Mayorga via TKO in round one to earn a US$100,000 ONE Championship contract.

The finish added to his astonishing 100 percent finishing rate that runs all the way back to his first professional bout.

Given his humble beginnings, Orii admits he never envisioned himself fighting on the global stage. Early on, the idea of competing at ONE Championship level felt so distant it wasn’t worth entertaining.

Every win nudged the ceiling higher, and he kept believing in himself when no one else did.

“Black Samurai” told ONE Championship in his post-event interview:

“The more I fought, the more it suddenly became like a possible dream. Like this could be a dream come true.”

The monumental victory upped the 30-year-old’s career record to a perfect 5-0 and earned him a spot on the promotion’s main roster.

It was a slow accumulation of evidence that he belonged at this level.

The Inner Circle 15 full results

Friday’s iteration of The Inner Circle featured five incredible bouts of Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts. Check out the full results from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

Kongchai Chanaidonmueang def. Valerii Strungari via knockout (strawweight Muay Thai)

Yuan Pengjie def. Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi via unanimous decision (flyweight kickboxing)

Banluelok Sitwatcharachai def. Rak Erawan via knockout (atomweight Muay Thai)

Rahim Tcherchaiko def. Zhang Jinhu via unanimous decision (flyweight kickboxing)

Taiga Orii def. Julian Mayorga via TKO (bantamweight MMA)

The Inner Circle replay is available for Inner Circle Superfan Club members at live.onefc.com.

Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein