"Moroccan lion" - Fans in sheer awe of Ilias Ennahachi's blinding knockdown of Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Friday Fights 81

Ilias Ennahachi knocks down Hiroki Akimoto | Image credit: ONE Championship
Ilias Ennahachi knocks down Hiroki Akimoto | Image credit: ONE Championship

A clash of former world champions was witnessed at ONE Friday Fights 81 last Friday as Ilias Ennahachi and Hiroki Akimoto exchanged hands in front of the packed Lumpinee Stadium crowd in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ennahachi, a former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, scored a massive victory over Akimoto, an ex-ONE bantamweight kickboxing king, via unanimous decision.

The biggest moment of the match was the knockdown that the Moroccan-Dutch superstar scored in the opening round, and that sequence was posted by ONE Championship on Instagram with the caption:

"WHAT A SHOT 😱 Ilias Ennahachi knocks down Hiroki Akimoto in Round 1! @iliasennahachi"

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Ennahachi struck the Japanese striking sensation with a rapid left hook that caught him off guard and compromized his equilibrium. Fortunately for Akimoto, he was saved by the bell in the opening round and survived the next two rounds to finish the match.

This incredible power by the S&B Gym representative has received a positive reception from fans, especially since it was his inaugural match in the weight class. Users @mod_amin7, @boxeur_abdo, @amineourika, @bdt_714, and @nattakit.m007 praised him through their comments:

"Moroccan lion 🦁❤️"
"Bravo Champion 👏🔥"
"@iliasennahachi The Best 🇲🇦🔥🔥"
"I think when ilias grabbed akimotos kick and threw that cross on the ropes , it seemed like it landed pretty flush and rocked akimoto"
"Akimoto is rock solid, dude still have a lot left in the tank but Moroccan was very fast and powerful in 1st round"
Screenshot of fans' comments
Screenshot of fans' comments

Ilias Ennahachi sets his sight on ONE bantamweight kickboxing gold after latest victory

Following his latest victory, which maintained his perfect record in the world's largest martial arts organization, Ennahachi has set his sights on winning the coveted 26-pound golden belt in the bantamweight division.

He shared this desire in one of his latest Instagram posts, as he captioned it with:

"Alhamdullilah we did it again 🇲🇦, still undefeated ☝🏼🤲🏼 I want the new ONE [world title] 🥇#bantamweighttitle"

British combat sports superstar Jonathan Haggerty currently holds the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard
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