Wei Rui had a dream start to his ONE Championship career this past weekend, and he hopes to use the momentum he’s building to challenge for gold in his division next. 

At ONE Fight Night 22 on Friday, May 3, the Chinese striker claimed a tight unanimous decision victory over former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Though his Japanese foe appeared to control the match early on, Wei soon found his footing and mounted an offense that ultimately earned the nod from all three judges. 

Wei Rui talks about his win over Hiroki Akimoto

Speaking to ONE in a post-fight interview, ‘Demon Blade’ admitted that while he did his best, the outcome was uncertain for him until the results were read. He also promised an even better performance in his next fight. 

“I think I just passed this test. I [will] try my best to adjust to the ring in ONE Championship. And I feel like next time, I will perform better,” Wei said

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“Before they announced the result, I wasn’t 100 percent confident that I would win. But I still believed everything went well for me to get the victory.

This is my debut in ONE Championship, and I think it wasn’t really [my best showing]. But I’m super motivated now. I will continue to focus on training, and I will try harder the next time. I will be back. “

Some fans questioned the fight’s results, arguing that Akimoto deserved to get the win from at least one judge after his valiant performance. 

However, Wei made it clear that, although his opponent displayed noteworthy skills, he failed to land significant damage. 

“I think Hiroki is a very tough, strong opponent. As you all know, his kicks and his attacks are always crazy and powerful. And, compared to my other opponents before, I feel [it was a harder matchup] with this kind of opponent. He did a lot of crazy things,” he said.

“But he didn’t really dominate the fight as you could see him struggling, he can’t fight at my pace, and I’m always unpredictable. That is also my greatest technique.” 

Rui is confident to challenge the championship belt

After disposing of a former divisional king, the ONE Championship newcomer believes he should get a shot at reigning bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty.

‘The General’ claimed the vacant divisional belt against ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio ‘Wonder Boy’ Andrade at ONE Fight Night 16 last November, adding it to his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title and becoming one of the promotion’s most sought-after stars.

Having held multiple kickboxing titles before arriving at ONE, and given he’s now on a 21-fight winning streak, Wei is confident he can take the fight to Haggerty.

“Yes. Definitely. I think I am qualified to be the next belt challenger. Because, as you know, Hiroki used to be the champion, and I beat him. That means I can definitely [challenge for] the belt,” he said.

“Challenging the champion, of course, is not an easy thing to do. I have to prepare a lot, and I think, in the next stage, I will focus on my training. I will follow a long-term, systematic training plan.”