“I’m just blown away” - Demetrious Johnson shares why Hiroki Akimoto is his favorite kickboxer to watch

'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson is a massive fan of kickboxing star Hiroki Akimoto. Japan's Akimoto earned the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship earlier this year in one of the most exciting bouts in kickboxing history.

Johnson said he loves to watch the kickboxing game of the karate-based Akimoto. While speaking with Joe Rogan, 'Mighty Mouse' described how he is blown away by the level of skill in ONE Championship's kickboxing divisions:

"The biggest thing that I like about ONE Championship is like ‘oh man the striking’s unbelievable’ but I was like no dude, if you wanna see some high-level f***ing striking like Superbon and Giorgio [Petrosyan], my favorite person to watch that’s just pure kickboxing is Hiroki Akimoto."

Johnson was circle-side when Akimoto earned the bantamweight kickboxing throne in his match against Capitan Petchyindee. The 36-year-old American explained:

"I was there live when he won the belt, I think it was in Singapore. I was sitting there watching I was like ‘Oh my God, this man’ like his bop bop bop kick and he’ll block, and then he’ll fire back immediately... It was like absolutely amazing. I’m just blown away."

Demetrious Johnson and fans will be enjoying Hiroki Akimoto's next fight as he looks to defend his throne at ONE 163 on November 19. Looking to capture ONE gold from the Japanese fighter will be Thailand's Petchtanong Petchfergus.

Watch the classic Capitan Petchyindee vs. Hiroki Akimoto fight below:

Hiroki Akimoto credits kickboxing success to his coach

With a background in karate, becoming a kickboxer was a natural step for Akimoto. However, to elevate his game to the next level and earn ONE gold, he needed a strong voice in his corner.

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto's got COUNTERS 🥊

#WeAreONE #ONEChampionship https://t.co/yk2Btp4Oxh

The Japanese fighter began working at the Evolve MMA gym and got paired up with former MMA fighter Siyar Bahadurzada. In an interview with Beyond Kick, Akimoto described how meaningful this relationship is:

"Without my coach, there is no me today. I couldn’t have done it without them and I’m very much grateful for everything. I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without their assistance. Even being able to have an interview like this now."

The dangerous Petchtanong Petchfergus will be looking to capture Akimoto's ONE bantamweight kickboxing crown at ONE 163 on November 19.

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto is a TECHNICIAN 💯 @HirokiAkimoto16

#WeAreONE #ONEChampionship https://t.co/1gsQGJ5Bbw