SUMMARY
- Wei Rui will make his ONE Championship debut on May 3.
- He will fight Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Fight Night 22.
Debutant and Chinese megastar “Demon Blade” Wei Rui is set to make his first appearance in ONE Championship on Friday, May 3, in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video.
The 32-year-old former K-1 World Champion with a 20-fight winning streak faces former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It’s no surprise that “Demon Blade” is facing one of the division’s most dangerous athletes in his first appearance, and Wei quickly praised his opponent’s skill set.
“I think I’m more agile and faster than him. His hits harder, and with output in his striking offense. Karate has more kicking techniques, so I think he has the advantage on that. As a sanda student, my movement will be more agile,” he said.
With a dynamic and well-rounded striking game due to his extensive background in the Chinese art of sanda, Wei will focus on movement, footwork, and blazing speed, which give him confidence ahead of the highly anticipated bout.
“There will always be winners and losers, and I will be very open to the results. Because if I over-pursue a result, the pressure will actually be very high. So in every match, I keep a normal mind, and failure is acceptable to me,” he said.
The Zen-like mindset will ultimately help the Chinese superstar face his first difficult task in the organization as he welcomes anyone else who is gunning for him.
Wei Rui is open to having Muay Thai fights in ONE as well
Wei Rui is considered as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound kickboxers, which brings fans and pundits to think about other dream matchups for him in ONE.
In fact, the Chinese standout is aiming for reigning ONE World Champions like Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, but he won’t look past Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Fight Night 22.
“I want to stay focused on the current fight now. If it’s a perfect fight, I will consider Muay Thai later,” he said.
If Wei takes out Akimoto – particularly in dominant fashion – he could jump the line and secure a crack at reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty, who also owns the bantamweight Muay Thai crown.