On 4 May, ONE Championship, an internationally renowned sports IP, will bring fans "ONE: Summit Series 22", with three Chinese fighters joining forces. Wei Rui will face former Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto of Japan in his ONE debut. "The Golden Wing" Zhang Lipeng will face 100 percent finishing rate of Swiss sensation Maurice Abbevi in a lightweight mixed martial arts bout. Chinese fighter "Wolf Warrior" Hu Yong will challenge fourth-ranked grappling sensation Reece McLaren.
Wei Rui: Use speed and movement to contain opponents
Akimoto has been dubbed "China's Fighter Buster" after defeating Chinese sensation Zhang Chenglong "Muay Thai Kid" Zhang Chenglong twice and Qiu Jianliang "The Tank" in ONE Championship. He has won the WFKO Karate World Championship, the WBC Muay Thai Japan Featherweight Championship and the 2010 K-1 Koshien Championship.
Wei Rui has a strong ability to control distance and move faster. He believes that Akimoto's shortcomings are that the absolute power of the punches is not strong enough and he moves less, and he hopes to use his own style of play to control the pace of the game.
Wei Rui's poster. Courtesy of ONE Championship
"I think I'm a little bit more agile and faster than him. My Sanda transition, relatively speaking, the footwork and movement will be more flexible, and the striking will be more accurate. I'll take him by the line, and I'll take the initiative. Wei Rui said.
Zhang Lipeng: I am very comprehensive and more experienced
The 24-year-old is full of momentum and skill, racking up seven victories and maintaining a 100 percent finishing rate, including three submissions and four (T)knockouts, and never even allowed the fight to the third round.
Zhang Lipeng's event poster. Courtesy of ONE Championship
In contrast, Chinese fighter Zhang Lipeng is 10 years older and 4 centimeters shorter than his opponent, but Zhang believes his experience is the key to victory. "I think I'm also a well-rounded fighter, and as long as he doesn't make mistakes in the ring, he doesn't have much of a chance. My advantage in the arena is experience, I have played more games than him. I'm going to knock him out in this fight. I'm 100 per cent motivated to win because if I win, I'm likely to finish in the top five. ”
Hu Yong: Look for a chance to knock out your opponent
McLaren is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a former XFC and Eternal MMA bantamweight title, and has been ranked in the top five for his incredible grappling skills. Of his nine victories in ONE Championship, five have come by submission. McLaren submitted "The Hunter" Xie Wei from the Xinjiang International Fight Club by first-round rear-naked choke at ONE 158.
Hu Yong event poster. Courtesy of ONE Championship
Hu Yong is a striking-style heavy gunner, and since joining the Xinjiang International Fight Club, his skills have continued to improve. "I don't predict the fight to be full, and if the opponent can't submit me on the ground, then I'll look for a knockout on him," he said. I think for me, the perfect match is to finish the opponent and ignite the passion of all the spectators. After winning this fight, I want to play the championship or give me a championship fight. ”
The head picture shows three Chinese players, from left to right: Hu Yong, Wei Rui, and Zhang Lipeng. Courtesy of ONE Championship