ONE Fight Night 22: Wei Rui leads Chinese contingent in Bangkok with bantamweight kickboxing clash against Hiroki Akimoto a potential title eliminator
- Winner could get shot at Jonathan Haggerty’s belt, while Hu Yong and Zhang Lipeng also in action on May 4
- Liam Harrison to make long-awaited comeback at ONE Fight 167 in a bantamweight Muay Thai clash with Katsuki Kitano on June 8
ONE Fight Night 22 will have a distinctly Chinese feel, with kickboxing legend Wei Rui one of three fighters from the country to have been added to the card for Bangkok on May 4.
Wei Rui is set to take on Hiroki Akimoto in a bantamweight kickboxing bout. The Japanese fighter is a former champion and ranked No 1 in the division, meaning that the winner will be well positioned for a shot at Jonathan Haggerty’s belt.
In the flyweight division, Hu Yong (12-4) has been matched with Reece McLaren (16-9) in an MMA bout. The Chinese fighter is on a three-fight winning streak and could crack the top five for the first time with a win.
Experienced lightweight Zhang Lipeng (34-12-2) will be fighting for the first time this year against Swiss mixed martial artist Maurice Abevi (7-1) who is a decade younger, with both men coming off first-round stoppage wins.
The only man to ever beat Abevi is Halil Amir, who faces Akbar Abdullaev in a featherweight bout between two undefeated fighters that has all the makings of a title eliminator.
Amir and Abdullaev both have identical 10-0 records and will both be dropping down to featherweight for this fight. Reigning champion Tang Kai will surely be watching and wondering if the winner will be his next opponent.
