John Lineker admits catching speedy Hiroki Akimoto with his KO power won't be easy: "He reacts quickly"

After previously taking his act to The Art of Eight Limbs and victimizing two of his three opponents with knockout wins, former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker will now make his kickboxing debut.

Lineker is pitted against the former ONE bantamweight kickboxing king Hiroki Akimoto on March 23 as part of the ONE 172 card at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Ahead of this exciting matchup, Lineker was interviewed by ONE Championship and acknowledged the tough challenge he will face with the Japanese star, particularly their contrasting fight styles:

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"His style is faster. He's a guy who doesn't stand still in front of his opponent. He reacts quickly and throws punches. It's a very different style from mine."

'Hands of Stone' recently absorbed his first Muay Thai defeat at the hands of Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai in January 2025 at ONE Fight Night 27 with a unanimous decision loss.

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John Lineker forecasts a knockout win over Hiroki Akimoto at ONE 172

The OCS Jiu-Jitsu athlete is eager to bring his knockout power to the kickboxing ruleset, and he reiterated his intentions of always looking for a finish against his opponents - including Hiroki Akimoto.

With the killer mindset in place, the 34-year-old even predicted a knockout finish, as he voiced out during his pre-fight interview with the largest martial arts organization:

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"I'm very happy and excited, and we'll see what happens with this fight. I'm preparing a lot. So, I'm going to look for the knockout all the time, in every round. My prediction for this fight is that I'll win by knockout."

Fans can watch all the action at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang via watch.onefc.com. The exciting event goes down on March 23 inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

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