ONE Championship News Roundup: Shinya Aoki wants Tye Ruotolo, Hiroki Akimoto gears up for Petchtanong, Christian Lee sees new challenger for welterweight gold

ONE on Prime Video 3 is firmly in the rear-view mirror, and ONE Championship is now on the advent of its November cards, one of which — ONE on Prime Video 4 — will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.

The organization has set up two explosive events this month, with ONE on Prime Video 4 set for November 18 and ONE 163 set for the following day. Both events will also be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Christian Lee, the reigning ONE lightweight world champion, will try to reach hallowed grounds when he takes on Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE welterweight world title in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4.

Hiroki Akimoto, meanwhile, will defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against Petchtanong Petchfergus in ONE 163’s headliner.

As ONE Championship looks ahead to November, we here at Sportskeeda ONE Championship look back at the top stories from yesterday.

---

#3. ‘Uncle’ Shinya Aoki wants to test his skills against Tye Ruotolo

Shinya Aoki may have told the Ruotolo twins to give him a nickname, but that doesn’t mean he won’t go easy on them the moment they meet inside the circle.

The former ONE lightweight world champion already had a submission grappling match against Kade back at ONE 157 this past May. He’s now eyeing a match against Tye.

Aoki, in an interview with ONE Championship to celebrate his 10th year in the promotion, said he wants to challenge himself. He feels that Tye would be the perfect opponent for him.

The Japanese legend told ONE:

“That was my idea. In my opinion, Tye should be my next opponent. I like this new challenge, and I am open to grappling with anybody.”

‘Uncle Shinya’, as the Ruotolo twins call him, is a pioneer in ONE Championship, having competed in the first submission grappling match at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in May 2017 against Garry Tonon.

‘Tobikan Judan’ also featured in the second submission grappling bout when he beat Marat Gafurov via rear-naked choke at ONE: Kings of Courage in January 2018.

---

#2. Hiroki Akimoto well-prepared to face southpaw Petchtanong in first defense of ONE Championship title

Hiroki Akimoto couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic world title win in his career. The Japanese star scored a unanimous decision win over Capitan Petchyindee at ONE X this past March.

That world title win, however, is in the past now and Akimoto’s next mission is defending the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

Akimoto’s first world title defense is at ONE 163 and comes against Thailand’s Petchtanong Petchfergus. The Evolve MMA fighter is more than ready to stand his ground atop the division.

The 30-year-old said in an interview with Beyond Kick that he hasn’t done anything special in his training camp. What he did do, though, is train for a southpaw opponent:

“I don’t have any special strategies in mind. But as I’ve been practicing for orthodox opponents for a long time, this time I’ve shifted my training to be ready to approach a southpaw. You’ll see what I have prepared for in the fight.”

Petchtanong could be Akimoto’s toughest test in his ONE Championship career to date. The 36-year-old holds a professional record of 357-56-1 and has won four Muay Thai world titles across his career.

---

#1. Christian Lee says winner of Roberto Soldic vs. Murad Ramazanov will be next world title challenger

Christian Lee may be seeking to become a two-division world champion, but he’s also closely watching the rising contenders of the welterweight division.

The reigning ONE lightweight world champion believes that the winner between Roberto Soldic and Murad Ramazanov at ONE on Prime Video 5 could get a crack at the ONE welterweight world title.

If Lee is victorious over ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov, then it’s imperative that he keep an eye on the showdown between Soldic and Ramazanov.

In an interview with The MMA Super-Fan, Lee said:

“I think that’s a title eliminator fight. I think that whoever wins that fight will be next in line for the belt. Ramazanov, I believe he has three wins in the welterweight division, a very impressive record. He could have been next in line for the welterweight shot as well. And with Roberto coming in, bringing the resume that he has, I think definitely the winner of that fight will be next.”

Lee, 24, looks to become just the fourth fighter in ONE Championship to simultaneously hold two world titles across two divisions. The exclusive club currently has three members in Martin Nguyen, Aung La N Sang, and Reinier de Ridder.

Catch the interview below: