"I still see him as a Muay Thai fighter" - Hiroki Akimoto not sold on Jonathan Haggerty's kickboxing skills 

As far as former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto is concerned, the man who now occupies his old throne is not a legitimate kickboxer.

The Japanese superstar is talking about two-sport king Jonathan Haggerty, who now holds the Muay Thai and kickboxing belts at 145 pounds.

While Akimoto concedes that 'The General' is a genius in 'The Art of Eight Limbs', that doesn't make him the absolute best in the kickboxing ranks.

After all, the two striking sports still differ in terms of rules and skillsets, and Akimoto believes the British star is still unproven in kickboxing.

The Evolve MMA star explained in a ONE Championship interview:

"When it comes to Muay Thai, one thing that stands out is Haggerty's unique footwork. That allows his punches to really extend. So those qualities may translate to kickboxing as well, but I still see him as a Muay Thai fighter."

Jonathan Haggerty, of course, initially plied his trade in the world's largest martial arts organization's Muay Thai divisions.

His world title-clinching victory against Fabricio Andrade at ONE Fight Night 16 last year happens to be his first foray into kickboxing under the ONE umbrella.

One thing's for sure, Hiroki Akimoto wants to be the first man in line when it's time for Haggerty to defend his kickboxing crown.

Hiroki Akimoto must prove himself against Wei Rui before Jonathan Haggerty title bid

For now, Hiroki Akimoto must earn a shot at 26 pounds of gold by beating China's first-ever K-1 world champion Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 this Friday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

The 31-year-old fan-favorite made it clear that a decisive victory should no doubt legitimize his claim as the no.1 contender. But if Haggerty won't be able to defend later this year, Akimoto said an interim title should be introduced.

He told Sportskeeda MMA:

"It could be hard for Jonathan Haggerty to defend the title this year. If the interim title is going to happen, I just need to get back to training."

Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 22 live on US Primetime on May 3 free of charge.

Meanwhile, Tickets for Jonathan Haggerty's bantamweight Muay Thai world title defense against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver is available here.