Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Hiroki Akimoto is ready to reclaim his position among ONE Championship’s striking elite by proving himself in his upcoming return to action.

On Friday, May 3, the Japanese striker will take on promotional newcomer “Demon Blade” Wei Rui in a bantamweight kickboxing battle at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Hiroki Akimoto to make his return at ONE Fight Night 22

Akimoto previously honed his skills at the famed Evolve MMA gym in Singapore but is now training at Power of Dreams gym in Tokyo. In a recent interview with ONE, he explained how he hopes the drastic switch will help him get back on the winning track.

“I couldn’t renew my visa, so I left Singapore and returned to Japan. I started to train at a new gym last December, so that has been a big change,” he said.  

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“Ultimately, I won’t know until I actually fight, but I’m getting a good feeling from it. I’m having many realizations in each training session, and I can feel myself growing.”

“In terms of training, the previous fight showed me my weaknesses, so I’ve been working on improving those while further honing my strengths.”

The 31-year-old will have a tough challenge in front of him when he meets Wei

“Dragon Blade” joins ONE Championship riding a 20-fight win streak across both K-1 and KLF Championships.

He will certainly look to make a statement straight out of the gates by taking out the former bantamweight kickboxing king and extending his dominant streak.

Instead of being intimidated by Wei’s form, Akimoto is excited by the idea of squaring off with such a high-level foe in his next assignment.

“My opponent is a really good fighter, so I was happy when I got the offer. I knew about him. I haven’t seen him fight live, but I had the impression that he’s a skilled fighter,” he said. 

“All the fighters in ONE have won titles, so I’m not really conscious of the fact that he’s a former K-1 World Champion.”

“I just see him as another fighter who has strengths but also areas that can be exploited, so I’ll just prepare as I always do.”