WATCH: Ilias Ennahachi flaunts his mind-numbing power in dominant victory over fellow former champ Hiroki Akimoto in Bangkok

Ilias Ennahachi wants nothing more than to become a ONE world champion once again, and he made a massive leap in that direction when he stunned former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto last September.

In a video posted by the world's largest martial arts promotion on Instagram, the Moroccan-Dutch star caught Akimoto at the perfect time as he lunged into a quick three-punch combo from Ennahachi, with the combo-ending left hook dropping him to the mat late in the opening round.

Akimoto rallied back with a high-pace style in the second round, but Ennahachi's strong showing in the third frame, plus the early knockdown, ultimately gave him the unanimous decision victory.

This was a fantastic outing for Ennahachi, as it marked his second straight win in the 145-pound kickboxing division while also improving his unblemished ONE resume to five triumphs.

Ennahachi's next task is to square off with good friend and former bantamweight kickboxing king Petchtanong Petchfergus at ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar.

Tickets for ONE 171 are available via Q-Tickets.

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Ilias Ennahachi completely fine with facing Petchtanong in pursuit of gold

Ilias Ennahachi, the former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, has no qualms about putting aside his friendship with Petchtanong if it means eventually challenging the reigning Jonathan Haggerty for 26 pounds of bantamweight kickboxing gold.

He said as much in an interview with the South China Morning Post:

"It's still a fight. Everybody wants the title. Petchtanong is a very good guy, we speak a lot on Instagram together. But when we fight, it's business. After the fight, we are friends. So, if I need to fight him to get to the title, I must fight him because I want the title. I want the credits."

Watch the entire interview below: