“I’m making final adjustments” - Hiroki Akimoto is putting on finishing touches for ONE Friday Fights 81 return
Hiroki Akimoto teased a "different fighting style" for his upcoming fight.
On May 3, Akimoto ended a year-and-a-half layoff when he faced promotional newcomer Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22. The former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion went to war for three rounds, but unfortunately for him, Rui emerged victorious by unanimous decision.
Later this week, September 27, Akimoto will return to action with plans to get back on track. The 32-year-old Japanese fighter is scheduled to fight former 3x ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Ilias Ennahachi, who holds an undefeated promotional record of 4-0, in a bantamweight bout.
During an interview with ONE, Akimoto revealed he plans to showcase a fighting style different from his last fight:
"I'm making final adjustments to show a different fighting style from the previous fight."
Hiroki Akimoto vs Ilias Ennahachi will occur inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium during Friday's ONE Friday Fights 81. The stacked event in Bangkok, Thailand can be seen via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
What's at stake between Hiroki Akimoto and Ilias Ennahachi?
In November 2023, Jonathan Haggerty knocked out ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade for the bantamweight kickboxing world title. Haggerty recently lost his Muay Thai strap in the same division, making it more than likely that his next fight will be a kickboxing title defense.
Wei Rui is expected to receive the next bantamweight kickboxing title shot. Meanwhile, Hiroki Akimoto vs Ilia Ennahachi could be considered a number one contender bout unless the promotion matches them up against one of the other ranked contenders (Petchtanong, Alaverdi Ramazanov, or Nong-O).
It should be noted that Rui is not guaranteed the next title shot. Following his war against Akimoto, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed he thought the latter deserved the decision. Therefore, Sityodtong could be interested in booking the rematch if Akimoto emerges victorious at ONE Friday Fights 81.
Firstly, Akimoto won't be overlooking his upcoming challenge against Ilias Ennahachai. The Moroccan former world champion holds a win against two-sport world champion Superlek and now looks to add Akimoto to his resume.