ONE 172 results: John Lineker vs. Hiroki Akimoto
After making waves in the art of eight limbs last year, former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker strapped on the eight-ounce gloves for a kickboxing clash with Hiroki Akimoto at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.
Round 1: Lineker immediately applies forward pressure, but Akimoto connects with a leg kick that takes ‘Hands of Stone’ off his feet momentarily. Akimoto lands another nice calf kick and follows it up with a kick to the body.
Lineker catches the kick, earning him a warning from the referee. Lineker is swinging big, throwing a combination followed by a stiff jab up the middle.
Akimoto nearly connects with a lightning-fast head kick. Akimoto throws a knee up the middle followed by a kick that Lineker catches. That gets Lineker another warning.
Lineker blocks a high kick from Akimoto and clinches up against the ropes. Akimoto lands a right hand and backs up the Brazilian with some big body kicks towards the end of the round.
Round 2: Like he did in the opening round, Lineker comes out swinging and backs Akimoto into the corner. Lineker swings and misses with a looping left hook. Akimoto continues to use his kicks to keep the ex-titleholder at bay. Akimoto lands a jab, but Lineker comes right back with a right hook that partially connects.
Akimoto throws a beautiful front kick up the middle, prompting Lineker to fire back with a five-punch combination. Akimoto lands a knee that appears to have knocked down Lineker, but the referee rules it a slip.
Lineker complains that Akimoto clinched him, but the referee lets the fight continue uninterrupted. Akimoto lands another nasty front kick to the body followed by a left hand just before the bell.
Round 3: With the fight potentially tied up, both fighters started to ramp up the aggression with Lineker trying to catch Akimoto coming in. Akimoto lands another front kick to the body followed by a left hand up top. Lineker rips to the body and then goes upstairs.
With a minute to go in the fight, Lineker swings and misses. Akimoto fires back with a right that lands. Akimoto throws a knee and Lineker narrowly misses with a counter.
Akimoto is beginning to bleed, likely from an accidental clash of heads. The referee issues another warning to both fighters for catching kicks, but by the time the fight resumes, the bell sounds bringing an end to the three-round war.
ONE 172 - John Lineker vs. Hiroki Akimoto Official Result
After three rounds of exciting back-and-forth action, fourth-ranked bantamweight kickboxing contender Hiroki Akimoto was declared the winner via split decision.
The victory snapped a three-fight losing skid for the former ONE world titleholder, marking his first win since ONE Championship’s 10th-anniversary showcase, ONE X, in March 2022.
Lineker comes up short in his second straight bout, but the kickboxing loss is unlikely to hurt the Brazilian’s chances of once again challenging reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade.
Official Result: Hiroki Akimoto def. John Lineker via split decision (kickboxing - bantamweight)