Chinese star Wei Rui says he was caught off guard by Hiroki Akmioto's 'crazy and powerful' kicks at ONE Fight Night 22

Chinese combat sports veteran and former K-1 world champion 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui may have gotten more than he bargained for in his ONE Championship debut. He ran into one of the toughest tests of his career when he squared off with former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto of Japan last weekend.

The two figured in an absolute war of attrition. In his post-fight interview backstage, Wei talked about Akimoto and praised the former bantamweight kickboxing king.

'Demon Blade' said:

"Firstly, I think Hiroki is a very tough, strong, opponent. As you all know, his kicks and his attacks are always crazy and powerful."

Monumental praise stacked from Wei and much deserved for Akimoto. After three rounds of solid action, Wei ended up taking home a closely contested and hotly debated unanimous decision.

Wei and Akimoto locked horns at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video. The event took place live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last Saturday, May 4th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand, absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.

'Demon Blade' Wei Rui knows he has to be at his best in potential showdown with Jonathan Haggerty: "Not an easy thing to do"

If Wei Rui wants to become ONE world champion, the Chinese star knows he has to be more well prepared for the level of competition in the world's largest martial arts organization.

A showdown with reigning king Jonathan Haggerty, for example, would require nothing short of his absolute best.

'Demon Blade' told ONE Championship:

"Challenging the champion, of course, is not an easy thing to do. I have to prepare a long way, and I think, in the next stage, I will focus on my training."