"I understand him well" - Hiroki Akimoto says he'd have to knock Wei Rui out in a potential rematch
Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto was understandably disappointed after being on the short end of a split decision loss to Wei Rui last weekend. The Japanese superstar welcomed 'Demon Blade' to the world's largest martial arts organization at ONE Fight Night 22.
While it was a close contest throughout their three-round striking war, Akimoto believes he did enough to win. Unfortunately for the Evolve MMA star, the judges saw it otherwise and sent him to his second straight defeat.
A disheartened Akimoto revealed his desire for an immediate rematch with Wei after the bout. He told Nick Atkin of Sportskeeda MMA:
"If ONE can provide a rematch, even a direct rematch is fine. I fought three rounds with Wei Rui and I understand him well. I can go full rounds with him or I can knock him out."
Despite coming up short, Akimoto certainly picked up pointers on how to do better if ONE decides to run it back with these two.
While the 31-year-old is prepared to go the distance again, his best bet will be to go for the finish and leave no questions asked this time around.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is free on-demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Here's Hiroki Akimoto's interview in its entirety:
Chatri Sityodtong believes Hiroki Akimoto won, open to setting up rematch
Another reason why Akimoto is confident that judges got it wrong is because ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong echoes his sentiments.
The promotion's head honcho also spoke to Sportskeeda MMA after the event and claimed the Japanese fighter deserved the nod over Wei:
“It was a super close fight, but I thought Akimoto won. I would love to do a rematch. Fans all over the world are debating the outcome, even in China," Sityodtong said.