ONE 163: Petchtanong Petchfergus upsets Hiroki Akimoto to win bantamweight kickboxing belt

In the ONE 163 main event, ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto stepped into the circle to defend his crown for the first time against a true Muay Thai legend in Petchtanong Petchfergus. With 357 career wins and claiming titles in organizations all around the world, Petchtanong looked to cap off his storied career with a ONE world championship on Saturday.

Both fighters came out in the opening round trading leg and body kicks with Akimoto moving forward. It was a tightly contested first round, but the two warriors began to pick up the pace in the second round, with Petchtanong finding success attacking Akimoto's body as the champion ended round two with a glancing head kick.

Nearing the halfway point of the fight, Petchtanong appeared to have his timing down, utilizing solid kicks and well-timed knees to the body of the defending champion. By the end of the third round, Akimoto’s right side looked like a raw hamburger. Still, Akimoto continued moving forward, but Petchtanong used the champion’s own momentum to continue brutalizing his body with vicious knee strikes.

Heading into the final round, Petchtanong appeared to be in complete control, stifling Akimoto’s offense. Hiroki Akimoto showed his toughness in the last three minutes, but toughness wasn’t enough as Petchtanong continued to attack the body, limiting the champion to single strikes. When it was all said and done, ONE had a new bantamweight kickboxing world champion.

Official Result: Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Hiroki Akimoto via split decision.

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Petchtanong Petchfergus reacts to split-decision victory over Hiroki Akimoto at ONE 163

At 37 years old, Petchtanong Petchfergus climbed to the top of the mountain, capturing his first ONE world championship with an absolutely brilliant performance against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE 163 on Saturday.

Following the world title victory, the Muay Thai icon spoke with ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson about the split decision and if he had any doubts as the scorecards were being read out:

“I was surprised, but I was confident that ONE Championship would be fair enough that I was the winner today.”

Petchtanong was a man of few words following his victory, briefly discussing the world he put in for the fight and thanking his fans for their support throughout his storied combat sports career:

“I have been training so hard for two months for this event only... I would like to say thank you to my fans in Thailand and all around the world.”