'Agile' Wei Rui expects a battle between speed and power against Hiroki Akimoto: "He hits harder"
Wei Rui is stepping inside the Circle for the first time at ONE Fight Night 22 for a huge debut fight under the ONE Championship banner.
Not many fighters get the opportunity that awaits him to try and make an immediate impact upon their arrival. On May 3, he will step inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to face off with Hiroki Akimoto.
As the former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion, Akimoto will have his sights set on reclaiming the title that was once his. Wei Rui will look to spoil his plans and secure one of the biggest wins of his career to date in the process when he faces off with the Japanese striker.
In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of the fight, he explained where he believes the fight can be won or lost. He gave the power advantage to his opponent, knowing that he would need to beat Akimoto to the punch if he is going to get his hand raised:
"I think I'm more agile and faster than him. He hits harder, and with output in his striking offense."
Wei Rui could shake up the entire division on May 3
A lot of fans and fellow bantamweight contenders have been eagerly anticipating the return of Hiroki Akimoto and that puts Wei Rui into a great spot. A win at ONE Fight Night 22 is sure to leave a huge mark on the division and allow him to push on towards a title shot in the near future.
Defeating Akimoto will be no easy task but the rewards that he could potentially reap as a result are worth the challenge. Acknowledging where both his and his opponent's strengths are in this fight is only going to help him put his best foot forward come fight night.
ONE Fight Night 22 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.