“It will be an entertaining fight” - Hiroki Akimoto says stylistic matchup against Ilias Ennahachi will provide good action

Hiroki Akimoto foresees an exciting matchup when he and fellow former ONE world champion Ilias Ennahachi collide this week in Thailand. Given that both men prioritize an aggressive and proactive style of fighting, fans can expect a barnburner of a showdown.

The former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion from Japan will take on the ex-flyweight king of the sport at ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut on Sept. 25 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok in a bantamweight kickboxing clash.

Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, Hiroki Akimoto shared what kind of clash fans can expect come fight night, saying:

"I think we'll need to be quick with footwork and movement at a distance, which is something I'm good at. I believe it will be an entertaining fight for the audience. We've also practiced close-range exchanges thoroughly, so I think it will be an interesting fight with quick entries and exits and exchanges."

Fans in North America can catch the action at ONE Friday Fights 81 via global pay-per-view through watch.onefc,com. For more information on it, visit the ONE Championship website.

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Hiroki Akimoto out to stop two-fight skid at ONE Friday Fights 81

Hiroki Akimoto wants to put an end to a two-fight losing skid when he gets back to action at ONE Friday Fights 81 on Sept. 27 in Thailand.

The Japanese kickboxing star, who used to hold the ONE bantamweight championship belt, ended up on the wrong side of two tightly contested bouts in his last two fights, losing both via decision.

It is something he hopes to overturn in his scheduled showdown this week against Moroccan-Dutch fighter Ilias Ennahachi.

Akimoto's most recent defeat came at the hands of Wei Rui of China back in May. Prior to that, he lost the bantamweight belt to Thai Petchtanong Petchfergus by split decision in their title clash in November 2022. The back-to-back losses came after he put together a five-fight win streak, halting his momentum in it's tracks.

Looking to add to his frustration is Ennahachi, who is undefeated in four matches to date in ONE Championship. It is also his second foray in the bantamweight class after his succesful debut in the division in his last fight in February last year.

The Akimoto-Ennahachi showdown is one of 10 fights on offer at ONE Friday Fights 81, which is headlined by the featherweight Muay Thai battle between Thai superstars Superbon and 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut.