Morocco’s Ilias Ennahachi delivered another technical masterpiece as he beat second-ranked Hiroki Akimoto in a three-round bantamweight kickboxing matchup at ONE Friday Fights 81.
Ennahachi scored a knockdown in the dying moments of the first round, throwing a huge left hook that dropped his Japanese competitor onto the canvas.
While Akimoto began the fight on the front foot, Ennahachi managed to push him back with kicks and body shots before delivering a crushing knockdown.
In an evenly matched, high-paced second round, the 28-year-old Moroccan star focused on body shots and high kicks as Akimoto tried to turn on the pressure.
The two men continued to trade strikes. Akimoto pushed forward as he hoped to land a knockout, but Ennahachi’s positioning and quick movements made it difficult for the Japanese fighter to hit clean strikes.
With the unanimous decision win, Ennahachi raises his overall professional record to 39-3 and improves his ONE record to 5-0. The win is pivotal for the former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing world champion as it moves him closer to earning a title shot in the bantamweight division.
