TLDR
- Hiroki Akimoto challenges Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship on October 17 in Tokyo
- Akimoto lost the same title in 2022 and endured a three-fight losing streak before winning three straight fights
- The Japanese fighter has studied Haggerty’s stance switching and prepared specific counters for the undefeated champion
- Akimoto plans to shut down Haggerty’s distance management and angle-taking to secure victory
- Haggerty promised a second-round finish, which Akimoto says makes it easier to counter-strike and finish the champion
Sources: middleeasy.com | onefc.com | mmasucka.com
Hiroki Akimoto will challenge Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship on Saturday, October 17, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 33-year-old Japanese fighter held the same title four years ago and has spent the past three years rebuilding his career to reach this moment.
Akimoto first won the championship at ONE X in 2022 by defeating Capitan Petchyindee. He lost the belt to Thai legend Petchtanong Petchfergus in his first defense and then suffered two more consecutive losses.
The three-fight losing streak pushed Akimoto to the lowest point of his ONE Championship career. After his third loss to Ilias Ennahachi at ONE Friday Fights 81, he thought his career might be over.
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“Honestly, after that second loss – before the third – I remember thinking, if I lose the next one, it might be over,” Akimoto said. “And then I lost again. It was really tough, but my family, my teammates, and the fans supported me, and somehow I was able to break out of that losing streak.”
Akimoto stopped the slide in March 2025 with a split decision victory over former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker at ONE 172. He chose to fight Lineker’s power head-on rather than use safer tactics like maintaining distance with kicks.
“There might have been easier ways to win – like kicking to rack up points or landing more low kicks,” Akimoto explained. “But I felt I had to properly tackle my own weaknesses, or I wouldn’t be able to become champion again.”
Three Different Tests on the Road Back
At ONE 173, Akimoto earned a unanimous decision victory over Wei Rui, avenging his earlier loss. The technical, point-scoring style Wei brought required completely different preparation than the brawling Lineker fight.
“Wei Rui is really skilled at scoring points. He’s very good at winning on points, so my focus was on not letting him do that,” Akimoto said. “Those two fights were really a big plus for me.”
Akimoto completed his comeback with a split decision win over 20-year-old rising star Taimu Hisai at ONE SAMURAI 1 in Tokyo. The victory earned him his title shot against Haggerty.
The British champion has never lost in ONE Championship kickboxing competition. Haggerty stopped Wei Rui in 2025 and outpointed Yuki Yoza at ONE SAMURAI 1 earlier this year to defend his title.
Game Plan to Stop Haggerty’s Switching Stance
Akimoto has studied Haggerty’s tendency to switch stances frequently during fights. He believes previous opponents have failed to prepare properly for this tactic.
“He’s a switch-hitter, someone who switches stances a lot. I think a lot of the fighters he’s faced before have been a bit sloppy in how they approached him,” Akimoto said. “I’ve also got plenty of surprises prepared, so I hope everyone looks forward to seeing them.”
The Japanese fighter identified distance management and angle-taking as Haggerty’s most dangerous weapons. Akimoto believes shutting down those tools will give him a clear path to victory.
“I think the thing I really need to watch out for with Haggerty is his range, distance management, and his movement to take angles. If I can shut those down well, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble winning,” he said.
Haggerty stated at a recent press conference that he plans to finish Akimoto in the second round. The Japanese fighter views this aggressive approach as an opportunity.
“Haggerty said at the press conference earlier that he’s going for a second-round finish, and if he comes at me looking for a finish, that actually makes it easier for me to finish him,” Akimoto said.
Akimoto maintained his strict training discipline even during his losing streak. He said his approach to training has remained the same whether fights were scheduled or not since joining ONE Championship in 2019.
The former champion carries a 29-4 striking record and nine ONE Championship victories into the title fight. ONE SAMURAI 4 will stream exclusively on live.onefc.com.
