“I can’t lose here” - Hiroki Akimoto says winning is a necessity against Ilias Ennahachi at ONE Friday Fights 81
Hiroki Akimoto sees his ONE Friday Fights 81 clash with Ilias Ennahachi as a must-win situation.
This Friday, it will be a battle of former ONE kickboxing world champions as Akimoto squares off with Ennahachi inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Airing live on pay-per-view, Akimoto will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid after losses against Petchtanong Petchfergus and Wei Rui in his last couple of outings.
Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of his highly anticipated return, the second-ranked bantamweight kickboxing contender stressed the importance of leaving 'The Land of Smiles' with his hand raised:
"This fight, like every fight, is really important," Hiroki Akimoto said. "There's no order of importance or superiority. To become champion again, I can't lose here. I need to have a good fight and win. If I focus and do my best, the results will definitely follow, so I want to give it my all."
Ilias Ennahachi will test Hiroki Akimoto to the fullest inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai'
Of course, getting a win over the Ilias Ennahachi will be much easier said than done for Hiroki Akimoto.
As a three-time ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, Ilias Ennahachi is one of the best fighters in the business — that much is obvious just by looking at his impeccable record. Overall, the Dutch-Moroccan sensation is 38-3 with four of those wins coming under the ONE Championship banner.
His victories over Petchdam Petchyindee, Wang Wenfeng, and Aliasghar Ghodratisaraskan have been undeniably impressive, but the biggest W of his career came at ONE: Fists of Fury in 2021 when he bested current two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Unfortunately, Ennahachi has only competed once since then, but that all changes when ONE Championship delivered another loaded card inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' on Friday.
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live and exclusively on pay-per-view on Friday, September 27 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. You can purchase the event exclusively on the official ONE Championship website.