ONE Championship: leading Chinese kickboxer Wei Rui signs contract on back of 20-fight winning streak over six years
- Wei, 34, beat Japan’s Ren Hiramoto in 2018 to become the first Chinese fighter to win a title with the Japanese kickboxing promotion K-1
- After losing that belt, he returned to China and after 20 fights unbeaten, is looking for opportunities to compete with the best fighters
One of China’s top kickboxers, Wei Rui, has signed with ONE Championship, the multinational combat sports organisation announced on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old put pen to paper with ONE Championship on the back of a 20-fight winning streak stretching back six years.
Wei beat Japan’s Ren Hiramoto in 2018 to win the K-1 Lightweight Grand Prix, becoming the first Chinese fighter to win a title with the Japanese kickboxing promotion, but lost that belt later that year.
He then returned to his native China where he has been competing and building up his unbeaten record. After his successful spell at home, Wei said he was ready to face overseas competition again.
“I have competed in many domestic and overseas events,” he told ONE FC.com. “Despite the success and recognition I have achieved in China, I am still looking for opportunities to compete with the best fighters on the best platform.
“ONE Championship is the best combat sports promotion. It’s the right platform for me.”
Wei will compete in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division, where there are some big fights and big name fighters awaiting him. Holding the title is Jonathan Haggerty and a bout with the Englishman is inevitable should the Chinese fighter keep winning.
Also waiting in the wings is the number one contender Hiroki Akimoto of Japan.
Wei’s rivalry with Japanese kickboxers dates back to 2016, when he beat three fighters from the country in the space of a year, including former K-1 lightweight champion Kenta Hayashi.
The biggest Japanese name on the roster in any division is Takeru Segawa, the only three-weight-division champion in K-1 history, and a fight between the former K-1 star and Wei would be a big draw for audiences in both Japan and China.
Wei also has a history with Thai opponents, having beaten Thanonchai Thanakorngym, Petpanomrung Kiatmoo9 and Pakorn PK Saenchai. But he did suffer the first defeat of his career at the hands of Lerdsila Chumpairtour in 2014.
Another potential Thai opponent for Wei would be Superlek Kiatmoo9, who recently beat Takeru to successfully defend the flyweight kickboxing title. He has talked openly about moving up to bantamweight, Rui’s weight division.
ONE Championship has put on 27 events in China but has not been back there since the pandemic. There are plans to return to the country this year and if that does happen, Wei is almost certain to be on the card.
