Keanu Subba vows to come back stronger following shocking injury

The Malaysian hero suffered a shocking injury in the opening stanza of his featherweight bout against Japan’s Ryogo Takahashi at ONE: FOR HONOR on Friday, 3 May.

As the 24-year-old advanced into his opponent’s range with a couple of strikes, his left inside leg kick was checked by Takahashi, which forced the Kuala Lumpur native to fall to the canvas in agony.

The Japanese athlete then pounced onto Subba – not knowing the severity of the injury at that time – and unloaded ground strikes. Referee Kemp Cheng stopped the contest at 1:46 of the first round.

Subba was brought to a local hospital following the incident. Despite the unfortunate turn of events, the warrior remained optimistic.

“The worst things can happen on your best day. I’m just grateful to be alive and blessed knowing I have wonderful people around me,” Subba posted on his Instagram account shortly after the featherweight clash in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He returned home to Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 6 May, alongside his loving brother Gianni Subba.

From the initial sounds of it, the Malaysian featherweight will be out of action for quite a while. However, his grit and determination to overcome tough situations in the past should see him sail through his current condition.

“I’m happy to be home. Unfortunately, I broke my tibia and fibula bone off a leg check in the first round of my fight last Friday,” Subba said.

“Thank you ONE Championship for sorting out my surgery and making sure everything went smoothly. Thank you all for the love and support, I will be back.”

Malaysia's martial arts community and teammates were quick to send him their best wishes with one goal in mind — to see him prosper during the recovery process and return to the ONE Circle better than ever.