Wei Rui impressively debuted in ONE Championship with a unanimous decision win over Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Fight Night 22. Rui, also known as 'Demon Blade,' showcased his skills against the former bantamweight kickboxing champion. Akimoto struggled against Rui's aggressive fighting style, leading to Rui's victory and extending his winning streak to 21 fights. Despite Akimoto's disappointment with the judges' decision, Rui defended his win, stating that critics should improve their knowledge of kickboxing rules. ONE chairman and CEO, Yodchatri, expressed interest in arranging an immediate rematch between Rui and Akimoto, believing the judges erred in their decision.
Keep them guessing. ๐ค Rising star Wei Rui attributes his victory against former world champ Hiroki Akimoto to his unpredictability. ๐ #Kickboxing #ONEFightNight22 #ONEChampionship https://t.co/XjOToyk5Po
Wei Rui ๐จ๐ณ told SCMP's @ASTJWhitelaw that he was the deserved winner of his clash with Hiroki Akimoto ๐ฏ๐ต as he 'controlled the game' and the Japanese fighter 'didn't really hurt' him. #ONEFightNight22 #ONE #WeiRui #HirokiAkimoto FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/KtYNGincm4 https://t.co/JT8sHHGrTz
๐จ๐ณ Wei Rui eyes the bantamweight kickboxing throne following his impressive display against former world champion Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Fight Night 22. #Kickboxing #ONEFightNight22 #ONEChampionship https://t.co/Vk0Vr5Tp8O
Wei Rui thinks people questioning his decision win over Hiroki Akimoto need to brush up on the rules of kickboxing. Story for @sportskeedaMMA here: https://t.co/hGYd7vUguA #ONEChampionship https://t.co/zFARanFE0l
ONE chairman and CEO @yodchatri wants to book immediate rematch between Hiroki Akimoto and Wei Rui. Told me he thinks the judges got it wrong at ONE Fight Night 22. Story for @sportskeedaMMA here: https://t.co/V2R4wPslYu #ONEChampionship https://t.co/6EjdrLrSN1
Wei Rui got a bit feisty over the criticism of the scorecards for his unanimous decision win vs Hiroki Akimoto. #ONEChampionship https://t.co/2EcNXRkFjp
Wei Rui hits back at the criticism of his win over Hiroki Akimoto. โIf you think this decision is controversial, probably we have some room to improve your knowledge of the rules,โ he told @nicatkinONE. Full interview: https://t.co/Z1BwLz1JRs #ONEChampionship https://t.co/cEDZSqVf3a
Spoke with Hiroki Akimoto. He is in good spirits despite everything. Feels he won the fight and wants it to be overturned, or to have a rematch with Wei Rui. Coming to @sportskeedaMMA #ONEChampionship https://t.co/1UAOvPfHUI
Maurice Abevi sweeps the scorecards against Zhang Lipeng ๐ช Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 22! #ONEFightNight22 | ๐ด Live Now ๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ Watch Live on Prime ๐ https://t.co/MDumXEdn9Y ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฎ๐ช Watch Live on Sky Sports ๐ Live TV broadcastโฆ https://t.co/77iTx8y75c
Maurice Abevi was tested like never before, but pulled through in the end against the tough Zhang Lipeng. ๐ช #ONEChampionship #ONEFightNight22 https://t.co/XnXaxDmKj0
Make it 21 wins in a row for Chinaโs Wei Rui! โDemon Bladeโ outpointed former bantamweight kickboxing champion Hiroki Akimoto in a masterful performance. ๐ #ONEChampionship #ONEFightNight22 https://t.co/EVhC3RqoYO
Wei Rui defeats Hiroki Akimoto via unanimous decision in his ONE debut ๐ฅ Wei Rui improves his record to (70-3) after defeating the former ONE World Champion! #ONEFightNight22 https://t.co/lWO2Xirlsu
Wei Rui debuts with a unanimous decision win over Hiroki Akimoto ๐ฅ Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 22! #ONEFightNight22 | ๐ด Live Now ๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ Watch Live on Prime ๐ https://t.co/MDumXEdn9Y ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฎ๐ช Watch Live on Sky Sports ๐ Live TVโฆ https://t.co/hcsQrmFZMt
Zhang is unable to keep top position and Abevi ends up on top in half again. #ONEFightNight22
Nicely done by Zhang who keeps Abevi's posture broken in order to get his guard back into play. #ONEFightNight22
A winning start to life in #ONEChampionship for Wei Rui ๐จ๐ณ the Chinese star gets a massive UD win over former champion Hiroki Akimoto ๐ฏ๐ต #ONEFightNight22 https://t.co/doGFVC159X
This is definitely not a warm up fight for Akimoto. Wei came to fight. #ONEFightNight22
Wei Rui certainly the busier fighter in R1. Could argue Akimoto may have landed the better quality. Way more active to start R2
Wei staying busy trying to keep Akimoto on the back foot. Akimoto landing those inside leg kicks. #ONEFightNight22