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Wei Rui is coming into ONE Championship with plenty of hype behind him thanks to his current winning streak and career accolades.
The former K-1 world champion is looking to put himself right into the top of the ONE bantamweight kickboxing division on his debut at ONE Fight Night 22.
The Chinese striker will face off with former bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Whilst a win for either man could see them cement their status as the next in line for Jonathan Haggerty when he next defends his kickboxing title, this isn't something that the new arrival is letting cloud his vision.
In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of fight night on May 3, he spoke about how Haggerty and the gold aren't a priority for him right now.
If he isn't able to get past Akimoto in his debut, talk of titles will have all been for nothing so he is zeroed in on the task at hand:
"For now, I want to keep my eyes on the upcoming fight"
Wei Rui talks about his decision to sign with ONE Championship and his goals in the promotion
Whilst his debut may have high stakes for the future of the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship, Wei Rui states that this isn't why he came to ONE Championship.
Ahead of his first time stepping inside the ring, he spoke about his motivation now that he has arrived in his new home.
The Chinese striker is more focused on taking things step by step in his career and looking to represent the people around him in the best way possible than targeting the very top of the bantamweight divisions.
Defeating Akimoto will be an incredible start to life in the promotion but until he gets his hand raised, there is nothing else to think about:
"First, I want to fight for my team, and I hope I can bring more honor to my team. Second, it's about my career."
ONE Fight Night 22 will air live and free in US primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.
