Nieky Holzken Looking For Statement Victory In Upcoming Bout

Nieky Holzken has traveled all over the world to grow his legend in the kickboxing scene.

While he knows that he is nearing the twilight of his career, the Dutch competitor is not yet ready to give up on his career just yet.

Holzken will be entering the 113th kickboxing bout of his career when he takes on Arian Sadikovic at ONE Fight Night 11 on Saturday, June 10 (Friday, June 9 in the United States), making it the seventh bout of his career under ONE Championship.

At age 39, many would think that Holzken will be contemplating retirement any time soon, but for him, ONE Fight Night 11 is going to be a statement victory in his favor against Sadikovic, who is 11 years younger than him.

“I’m going to win, and people are going to see that I don’t fight like somebody who’s 39. I always say I am going to do something in my career that nobody ever has done in the kickboxing world,” Holzken declared.

Holzken has had a shaky run through his seven-fight career with ONE Championship, logging four victories and three losses with his most recent outing being a second-round knockout loss at the hands of Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE X in March 2022.

Prior to that, “The Natural” strung together back-to-back knockout victories with a round one finish of Elliot Compton and a second-round TKO win over John Wayne Parr.

As he enters the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for ONE Fight Night 11, Holzken is as confident as ever in the skills that he has acquired through years of fighting.

“I think I’m a better all-round fighter. I can do everything. He’s good with boxing and he has one good knee. I have everything in my arsenal. I have low kicks and spinning back kicks. I have jumping knees, high knees, everything. And my boxing is on point always,” he shared.

Meanwhile, Sadikovic only has two fights under his name, winning his debut against Mustapha Haida at ONE: Winter Warriors II in December 2021 before falling short in his ONE kickboxing lightweight title challenge opposite Regian Eersel in May 2022.

But it does not mean that Holzken is discounting him at all, even giving him props for his relentless style of fighting that allows him to push his opponents into uncomfortable situations.

“I’ve seen him compete around on different shows and a few times now in ONE. I like this guy and his kind of style. He comes forward a lot. [But] I’m sharp with my boxing also,” Holzken said.

Holzken might not be in line for a third bout with Eersel after falling to him twice by unanimous decision, but the only thing that matters to him now is to keep showing that he has a lot left in the tank.

“For me, age is just a number. I don’t feel 39. I don’t train like I’m 39. I train like I did when I was 25. I only have to keep in mind that I have to recover more, eat more, and rest,” he explained.