Hiroki Akimoto rues missed opportunity to fight Jonathan Haggerty for bantamweight kickboxing belt

Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing king Hiroki Akimoto is itching to make his return to the Circle.

The former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion lost his world title back at ONE 163 in November last year and is yet to make his long awaited return to competition.

In November at ONE Fight Night 16, Akimoto’s former world title was contested in a vacant title fight between two world champions.

Jonathan Haggerty became a two-sport world champion on that night by stopping Fabricio Andrade to add the kickboxing gold to his Muay Thai title.

Akimoto watched on as his former title was awarded to a man that he is confident he can defeat if given the shot to test himself against ‘The General’.

In an interview with BJPenn.com, the 31-year old competitor spoke about watching that fight take place whilst feeling like he should have been the one in the ring:

“I was wondering why they didn’t offer me the fight. I should have been the one to fight in that match,” Akimoto said.

“I can beat [Haggerty]. I will continue to aim for the top of the world as a fighter.”

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 16 via the free event replay.

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Hiroki Akimoto could be set for a huge return in 2024

Given the credibility that he brings to the table as a world-class kickboxing competitor, it is surely only a matter of time before we see Hiroki Akimoto back competing at the top.

ONE Championship has already announced a huge return to Japan with ONE 165 taking place on January 28.

Akimoto’s long overdue return could end up working in his favor given the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans in a big comeback fight.

Make no mistake about it, the 31-year-old wants to reclaim what was once his. He’ll have the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship and its holder firmly in his sights for the foreseeable future.