“I had an opportunity to grow myself” – Hiroki Akimoto grateful to Wei Rui for intense battle of attrition 

Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto made his long-awaited comeback last weekend at ONE Fight Night 22. Unfortunately for the Japanese star, he lost an ultra-close three-round contest to China's biggest kickboxing star, 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui.

The bout was an entertaining clash, with both fighters showcasing the highest levels of technique in the sport. Despite the unbelievable pace of the bout, the two warriors largely canceled each other out.

In the end, Wei - who was making his ONE debut - snagged the victory via split decision. Despite the disappointing loss, Hiroki was gracious in defeat and even commended his foe for giving him a great battle.

Hiroki told Sportskeeda MMA on YouTube via a translator:

"I have to say, Wei Rei is a very good, strong opponent. I had an opportunity to grow myself fighting him. But, in the second and third rounds I thought I did a very good job. But the result came out that I lost. I didn't feel good about that."

Watch the interview below:

For someone who's been on the shelf for over a year, Akimoto showed he hasn't missed a single step. Even in a loss, the Japanese former world champion's stock didn't diminish. He gave arguably the greatest Chinese kickboxer today more than he could handle.

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Wei Rui edges out Hiroki Akimoto in razor-close battle at ONE Fight Night 22

The first round saw southpaw Rui trade powerful kicks with orthodox Akimoto for most of the entire three minutes. With both warriors open for the roundhouse kick due to their opposite stances, the bout became something of a kicking contest - with each side landing just as much as the other.

After the kick-heavy first round, it's as if both Hiroki Akimoto and Wei Rui agreed to focus on punches in the second round. The two threw furious punch combinations at each other, with no one taking a step back.

By the third round, the bout became nearly impossible to score as the first two rounds saw one landing strike combinations just as much as the other. The only discernable difference was Hiroki Akimoto was the constant aggressor in the third round, while Wei was content with being the matador.

After three rounds of nearly dead-even technical scraps, the judges saw the bout going to Wei Rui via a unanimous decision.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.