Japanese star Hiroki Akimoto still wants to ‘avenge’ world title loss to Petchtanong in a possible rematch

Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto will make his return to action tonight at ONE Fight Night 22. Across the ring from him will be China's greatest kickboxing export, Wei Rui, in a three-round non-title bout.

It's been over a year since we last saw the Japanese superstar lace up the gloves, losing the strap to Petchtanong Petchfergus at ONE 163 in November 2022. Petchtanong also hasn't fought since, getting stripped of the belt a few months later.

A win over Wei would catapult Hiroki Akimoto back into world title contention. Perhaps another bout against the man who beat him for the belt and never lost it, Petchtanong, makes sense.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA on YouTube, Akimoto spoke about facing the Thai superstar again if he wins tonight:

“I think that would be one of the ideas for my next fight. I lost against Petchtanong but he [tested positive] in the doping test. I have this question in my mind as well if I can avenge that previous performance. It’s a good idea.”

Watch the full interview here:

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Hiroki Akimoto finds match with Wei Rui "interesting to watch"

As mentioned, Akimoto's opponent, promotional debutant Wei Rui, is one of the best fighters to come out of China today. Wei is China's first-ever K-1 Gran Prix world champion, boasting a 69-3 pro record. He hasn't lost in nearly five years and is riding an impressive 20-fight winning streak.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Akimoto said of his upcoming match-up:

“Since my opponent is skilled with both kicks and punches, I think it will be more of a long-range fight. The exchanges at that range should be interesting to watch.”

ONE Fight Night 22 will air live on US Primetime on May 3 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.