Koha Minowa (©ONE Championship)

Koha “Hiroba” Minowa, 21, of Saitama, Japan was one of the winners at “ONE: Inside the Matrix III.” It was the Japanese mixed martial artist’s first fight and first victory in ONE Championship.

Training at STF in Fujimi, Saitama, Minowa fought Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, 27, of Baguio City, Philippines at “ONE: Inside the Matrix III.” ONE Championship taped the closed-door MMA event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and aired it in the evening of November 13, 2020.

Five MMA fights were on the “ONE: Inside the Matrix III” fight card. Six countries were represented namely Brazil, China, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and South Korea.

In the first bout of the evening, Minowa and Adiwang battled it out in the strawweight division. Mohamad Sulaiman served as the referee.

Early on, Adiwang started the bout fast and caught Minowa with a deep kimura but the Japanese MMA fighter somehow survived. The latter then put on a grappling showcase in the second and third rounds, establishing control over his Filipino opponent.

After three five-minute rounds, the strawweight contest was left in the hands of the judges. In the end, Sulaiman raised the hand of Minowa, who was declared the winner via split decision.

Minowa stands 160cm. Adiwang, who is 2cm taller, trains out of Team Lakay in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines.

Beating Adiwang at “ONE: Inside the Matrix III” improved the professional MMA record of Minowa to 11 wins and 2 losses. On the other hand, the Team Lakay fighter now has 11 wins and 3 losses.

It was Adiwang’s first loss in ONE Championship. Prior to the fight, he was the number five contender in the promotion’s strawweight division.

Adiwang was one of the three MMA fighters who represented the Philippines. Minowa was one of the two representatives of Japan.