“I need to beat them” - Hiroki Akimoto eyes series of rematches in his quest to return to the bantamweight kickboxing throne

Hiroki Akimoto's redemption arc starts now.

The former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion got the ball rolling when he secured a dramatic split decision victory over John Lineker in their bantamweight kickboxing matchup at ONE 172 this past Sunday at the hallowed Saitama Super Arena.

The victory was a massive reprieve for Akimoto, who hit a rough patch in his career after dropping the gold in November 2022.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Akimoto said he's determined to work his way back up to the gold and avenge his losses to the fighters who pushed him farther from the throne.

Hiroki Akimoto said:

"There are a few fighters I've lost to in recent bouts. I need to beat them to make my way back to the belt."

Akimoto was on fine form in his start in ONE Championship, going a stellar 6-1 in his first seven matches in the promotion.

That run culminated in an inspiring world title win over Capitan Petchyindee at ONE X in March 2022.

Just as he captured the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship, Akimoto suffered three straight defeats to Petchtanong Petchfergus, Wei Rui, and former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Ilias Ennahachi.

Akimoto knew he had to stop the bleeding when he faced off against Lineker in Japan, and his hometown fans saw a rejuvenated warrior take on the former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion.

The Japanese superstar was as methodical as ever, relying on his versatile kicking arsenal to subdue Lineker's wild boxing style.

Lineker still managed to cut distance throughout the fight, but Akimoto's overall ringwork and accurate striking earned him two of three judges' scorecards.

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Hiroki Akimoto reveals he was under immense pressure heading into his match against John Lineker

Hiroki Akimoto felt a loss to John Lineker would have massive repercussions in his ONE Championship career.

Taking to Instagram following his ONE 172 victory, Akimoto admitted that he was under massive pressure heading into his match against Lineker at Saitama Super Arena.

He posted:

"I thought that if we lost this match, there would be no next time, so I'm glad we won for now. My performance wasn't very good, I still have a lot of issues to work on, but I'll work on them one by one and play my best game again."