Former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto is planning to do his part in a Japanese clean sweep at ONE Friday Fights 81: Superlek vs. Nattawut this weekend.
Akimoto will line up alongside his fellow countrymen, Takeru Segawa and Eisaku Ogasawara, at Bangkok, Thailand’s historic Lumpinee Stadium on September 27.
For his part, the former bantamweight kickboxing king will take on former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi in a high stakes bantamweight kickboxing battle.
Aside from representing his country, Akimoto is keen to erase the memory of a razor-thin decision defeat to Chinese superstar Wei Rui in his most recent outing.
“In my last fight, I thought I did well, but I lost by decision. I want to make sure the result is clear this time by scoring a knockdown or a KO,” he told onefc.com.
Akimoto still holds an impressive 26-3 professional record, but he now has dropped consecutive fights for the first time in his career.
After winning the bantamweight kickboxing gold in 2022, the 32-year-old dropped the gold in his first defence – another split decision at the hands of Petchtanong Petchfergus.
To land another shot at his old belt, now held by British star, Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, Akimoto will have to get past a formidable foe in Ennahachi, and he’s under no illusions as to the gravity of the task that awaits him at ONE Friday Fight 81.
“I think he’s incredibly strong. He’s a very well-rounded kickboxer and a good fighter. He has speed, and after moving up in weight class, he’s gained power too. I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
“I think we’ll need to be quick with footwork and movement at a distance, which is something I’m good at. I believe it will be an entertaining fight for the audience. We’ve also practiced close-range exchanges thoroughly, so I think it will be an interesting fight with quick entries and exits and exchanges.”
Japanese kickboxing superstar Takeru is also looking to get back to World Title contention, when he faces Burmese knockout artist Thant Zin.
Also, Ogasawara is searching for his third win from four outings under the ONE banner, while Akimoto’s Evolve MMA teammates, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Nong-O Hama are also in action.
With so many of his friends heading into battle alongside him, Akimoto has even more motivation to turn out his most memorable performance yet.
“Other fighters from Japan like Takeru and Ogasawara are also scheduled to fight, and famous Thai fighters like Superbon, Nong-O, and Sam-A will be there too. I intend to have a great fight and outshine everyone,” he said.
“We’re both Japanese, but we’re in different weight classes. I just want to do our best together. I’m sure Takeru will have a great fight, and other former teammates like Nong-O and Sam-A will definitely have great fights too. I don’t want to lose to anyone, not just in my fight but in the quality of the fight as well.”
Watch ONE Friday Fights 81 live on Friday, September 27, on watch.onefc.com at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT