“I aim to be Shohei Ohtani in kickboxing” - Japanese star Hiroki Akimoto vows to get back to world title picture and rule over the sport

There's no denying Shohei Ohtani's near-mythical level of dominance in baseball, and fellow Japanese star Hiroki Akimoto wants to reach that same level in kickboxing.

While Ohtani has been breaking records and winning MVPs in the MLB, Akimoto is on a path to redemption in ONE Championship.

Akimoto is a former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion, and he begins his road back to the throne when he faces Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 this Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Akimoto couldn't help but feel inspired by Ohtani's legendary career.

"Shohei Ohtani is dominating in MLB at a very high level in the world, and I myself am fighting in ONE, which is the best organization in striking. Being Japanese, I want to be number one in the world as well. I aim to be Shohei Ohtani in kickboxing," said Hiroki Akimoto.

Ohtani is often regarded as the best baseball player of this generation and is even in the conversation as the greatest of all time. The Japanese megastar is a two-time American League MVP, the 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP, and a World Baseball Classic champion with Japan.

Akimoto, meanwhile, is often called one of the greatest Kyokushin Karate fighters of all time and was a former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion.

Watch Akimoto's entire interview below:

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Hiroki Akimoto plans total domination against Wei Rui in Bangkok

Hiroki Akimoto has a tough task ahead of him when he faces Wei Rui at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, but the Japanese star is hellbent on putting on a showstopping performance against the Chinese standout.

Wei is a former K-1 Kickboxing, Glory of Heroes, and Wu Lin Feng champion, but 'Demon Blade' doesn't faze Akimoto at all.

Much like Ohtani, who's arguably the best pitcher in the world today, Akimoto plans to shut Wei out in Bangkok:

"I want to shut him out completely. That's the main goal. There are a few key points I have in mind, so I want to execute those properly. If I let him take control, I'll lose, so I need to do what I've practiced," said Akimoto in an interview with ONE Championship.

ONE Fight Night 22 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.