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Akimoto’s First World Title Defense
Hiroki Akimoto tore through the bantamweight kickboxing division to earn his shot at then-divisional king Capitan Petchyindee at ONE X this past March.
The Japanese superstar took it to his Thai opponent for five straight rounds that evening to earn a unanimous decision victory and claim the gold belt.
Now, Akimoto returns to cement his position atop the competitive weight class - and it might be his biggest challenge to date.
Vying for the title is Petchtanong Petchfergus. A veteran of a staggering 414 professional fights, the Thai star is ranked #3 in the division, and he's coming off the back of his first win in the promotion against Zhang Chenglong this past September.
Akimoto will look to utilize his karate to serve up some unfamiliar attacks to his former WMC Muay Thai World Champion opponent. But who will leave ONE 163 as the World Champion is anyone's guess.
ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Reaches Its Climax
The evening's co-main event will see a collision of hulking heavyweights as light heavyweight kickboxing king Roman Kryklia takes on surging Iranian star Iraj Azizpour in the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship Final.
This will be the third time the pair have met overall, with the series currently sitting at 1-1. Kryklia and Azizpour have never met inside the ONE Circle, however, so fans can expect fireworks when they step up to settle their rivalry on the biggest stage of all.
Kryklia moved up in weight to compete in the illustrious tournament, and the Ukrainian star took out Brazilian veteran Guto Inocente after just 52 seconds of their semifinal bout in September to book his shot at the top prize.
Azizpour scored his place in the final on the same night by taking a dominant decision win over Brazil's Bruno Chaves, improving his slate to 3-0 in the Circle.
Heavyweight slugfests are not to be missed, especially with the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship silver belt up for grabs, so this one should be a show-stealer.
Top Lightweight Takes Big Step Toward Title Shot
The ONE Lightweight World Title picture may have to be redrawn after Saygid Izagakhmaev's battle at ONE 163.
The Russian phenom has been unstoppable so far in his ONE tenure, with two wins from two bouts this year. If he can get past his next opponent, there will be no denying that he is a future challenger to Christian Lee's crown.
That task will be easier said than done, however, as his upcoming opponent is Japanese MMA legend and former divisional king Shinya Aoki.
"Tobikan Judan" is ranked just behind Izagakhmaev in the #5 spot, and he has every tool he needs to slow the grappling sensations hype train.
Fans should expect a grappling masterclass to play out when these two meet on the evening's main card.
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