Ilias Ennahachi believes he is a problem for bantamweights in ONE: “My style is very difficult”

Ilias Ennahachi has massive confidence ahead of his next bout, and he wants to make it fruitful.

Ennahachi, a former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, will now return with a step up onto the bantamweight division after a long time outside of competition to face another former kickboxing king in Hiroki Akimoto.

On September 27, Ennahachi will take his place in the loaded ONE Friday Fights 81 card, and he intends to make wave in his new division by defeating its former ruler.

Knowing that the stakes are high, the veteran observed his opponent closely and believes that his fighting style will be much better and faster than Akimoto's, as he told South China Morning Post in a recent interview.

When asked about what kind of fight he expected inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium, Ennahachi said:

"A hard fight. Akimoto is a very good fighter. He has a good Japanese style - he kicks very good, he boxes very good."

However, he also showed his confidence as one of the toughest fighters in ONE Championship, saying:

"But, I’m undefeated in ONE Championship, Alhamdullillah, and why I’m undefeated is because my style is very difficult."

Watch Ilias Ennahachi's full interview below:

---

Ilias Ennahachi says he respects Hiroki Akimoto as an opponent, but will still beat him

Looking into a tough opponent like Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Friday Fights 81 this Friday, Sept. 27, Ilias Ennahachi knows that as much as he respects his opponent, it will not stop him from taking the win inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

He shared this revelation in the same interview with South China Morning Post, where he highlighted that he is not underestimating Akimoto's skills as a fellow former world champion.

Ennahachi said:

"He is a good fighter. I respect him and don't underestimate him. I don't like to trash talk, so we'll see on that day how it's going to end."

And if Ilias Ennahachi wins this fight, it is almost certain that he could get into another clash with the two-sport ONE world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, whom he defeated in a flyweight kickboxing world title defense before he vacated it in 2023.

North American fans can catch all the actions at ONE Friday Fights 81 live via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.