ONE 163: What To Expect From Akimoto And Petchtanong In The Main Event

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto defends his crown against multiple-time striking champion Petchtanong Petchfergus in what is expected to be a barnburner. The two men will clash in the main event of ONE 163 on 19 November at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The reigning champ is riding high on a five-fight winning streak and has looked his very best ever since beating Joseph Lasiri in 2019. 

After all, the impressive winning streak was what took him to title contention, where he defeated Capitan Petchyindee to claim the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship at ONE’s 10-year anniversary event ONE X this past March. 

The battle served as the crowning moment in Akimoto’s career after he took out some of the toughest names in the sport, including Zhang Chenglong and Qui Jiangliang. 

However, as the saying goes, defending the belt is much harder than winning it. And this is the assignment on hand for Akimoto as he makes his first defense of the strap against Muay Thai and kickboxing legend Petchtanong. 

Petchtanong’s experience amounts to an incredible 357-56-1 combined striking record. The Thai also comes into the contest off the back of a unanimous decision victory over Zhang. 

The challenger may not have fought in ONE as frequently as the crowned champion, but his experience in combat sports speaks for itself. He can never be ruled out of a contest, and his aggressive fighting style will clash nicely with the cooler, more tactical approach that Akimoto brings to the Circle. 

The matchup between the Akimoto and Petchtanong will make for scintillating action atop of an already packed card that sees plenty of contenders vie for their shot at gold, as well as another World Grand Prix Final.

Main Card For ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong

• Hiroki Akimoto vs. Petchtanong Petchfergus (ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title)
• Roman Kryklia vs. Iraj Azizpour (ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Final)
• Shinya Aoki vs. Saygid Izaghakhmaev (MMA - lightweight)
• Yushin Okami vs. Aung La N Sung (MMA – middleweight)
• Itsuki Hirata vs. Ham Seo Hee (MMA – atomweight)
• Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Woo Sung Hoon (MMA – flyweight)

Catch all the action at ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong on Saturday, 19 November, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at https://ticketmaster.sg/activity/detail/22_onenovsg.

LEAVE A COMMENT

Please login to leave a comment

0 Comments