"You know how much power I have" - Ilias Ennahachi proud to be the first one to crack Hiroki Akimoto's durable chin

Ilias Ennahachi's homecoming at ONE Friday Fights 81 was an excellent re-introduction for the former champion. It has been a long time since ONE fans last saw the former champion compete, but he clearly hasn't lost a step.

At Lumpinee Stadium on Sept. 27, he got his hand raised against a fellow former world champion Hiroki Akimoto. Up in the bantamweight kickboxing division, Ennahachi was able to show his power by dropping Akimoto in the opening round.

Though the toughness of the Japanese striker was enough to keep him in the fight, that power certainly changed the trajectory of the contest.

In his post-event interviews, after he secured the win, Ennahachi spoke about how happy he was to have received the opportunity to showcase his power. He said:

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"I think he never went down in his fights in ONE Championship. I think I'm the first one to put him down. It only took one hook, so you know how much power I have."

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Ilias Ennahachi put the division on notice at ONE Friday Fights 81

Hiroki Akimoto clearly wasn't going away against Ilias Ennahachi at ONE Friday Fights 81, but his durability wasn't enough to turn the tide of the fight.

Akimoto did have a fair amount of success but you'd expect that from a former world champion in this division. Ennahachi's elusiveness and mobility was on full display in this fight as he produced a well-rounded display to get the victory.

His speed and power seemed a step ahead of his opponent's despite the fact that both men had made it to the very top of the mountain in the past.

We will now see how Ennahachi is able to factor into this division now that he is right back in the mix following the events of Sept. 27.

The replay of ONE Friday Fights 81 is available at watch.onefc.com for those who purchased the PPV.

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