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Multi-time kickboxing world champion Ilias Ennahachi dished out a vintage performance at ONE Friday Fights 81. Now, he wants to better that and claim ONE gold.
The former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion enjoyed a successful debut in the discipline's bantamweight ranks inside the Lumpinee Stadium last Friday, Sept. 27, seeing off ex-divisional king Hiroki Akimoto in dominant fashion.
The 28-year-old went for broke in Bangkok, Thailand, landing heavy leather time and time again. The S&B Gym man even managed to floor the Japanese star in round one, with the knockdown proving to be a pivotal point in their nine-minute war.
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However, just to make sure he didn't trail on the scorecards, Ilias Ennahachi stayed in his opponent's face throughout the second and third stanzas, avoiding what came his way and countering with inch-perfect shots on his way to a crushing unanimous decision win.
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With a 40-3 record and a perfect 5-0 slate under the ONE banner, the European striking savant wants to keep the momentum going. His target in question is none other than bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty.
Speaking to Nick Atkin shortly after his win, the Moroccan-Dutch striking sensation declared:
"Yeah, like I said before, I have the old belt, and I now want the new belt. So, I'm 28, and I fight for my family, for everybody. So I want the title."
Watch the full interview here:
Ilias Ennahachi showed his class in dominant win over Hiroki Akimoto
Despite not gaining enough hype as other names in the promotion's loaded bantamweight kickboxing division, it's easy to see why Ilias Ennahachi is one of the best there.
The 28-year-old warrior exuded confidence throughout the nine minutes he had to impress, relying on his perfect timing, head movement and varied striking arsenal to get the job done against the ever-tricky Japanese warrior.
Akimoto tried his best, but the Moroccan-Dutch athlete continued frustrating him until the final bell. Though some may argue that the Japanese fighter hasn't been at his best, it's still hard to make a win over him look easy.
Catch their fight and the entire card for free via replay at watch.onefc.com. The promotion returns to the Lumpinee Stadium with a double-header this week with ONE Friday Fights 82 and ONE Fight Night 25.
