"I played my game" - Ilias Ennahachi says he stuck to the game plan when Hiroki Akimoto tried to storm back

Ilias Ennahachi emerged victorious at ONE Friday Fights 81 in a high-level clash between two former world champions. This was a big moment for the former flyweight kickboxing king returning after a long lay-off.

Up at bantamweight, he drew former champ Hiroki Akimoto, and together, the two men put on a great contest inside Lumpinee Stadium.

The first round belonged to Ennahachi after he dropped his Japanese opponent. However, Akimoto's toughness and experience allowed him to work his way back into the fight.

In his post-event interviews, Ennahachi spoke about how this didn't change his approach to the fight:

"I still played my game, you know. Even if he made pressure or not, I can fight with people who pressure a lot. I can fight with people who move a lot, but I still play my game."

He believes that his ability to adapt to different opponents was crucial in this fight because he was able to fight exactly how he wanted:

"Also Akimoto is a very strong fighter, but you saw in the first round I knocked him out [down], he put pressure, but I played my game."

Ilias Ennahachi reminded fans what he is capable of

Regarding reintroductions, Ilias Ennahachi couldn't have asked for it to go much better than it did at ONE Friday Fights 81. He looked fast, accurate, and powerful against Akimoto who had to lean on his toughness to come through the opening round and make the fight competitive.

The former flyweight champion certainly reminded people what he is capable of and now, he's looking to become a two-time world champion in ONE.

After the display that he put on against Akimoto, it's hard to deny him that chance, especially when you look at his stellar record in the promotion.

The replay of ONE Friday Fights 81 is available at watch.onefc.com for those who purchased the PPV