“Sexyama” is coming to ONE Championship.
ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced Thursday that he is bringing UFC vet Yoshihiro Akiyamainto the fold. The 43-year-old Korean-Japanese fighter also confirmed the news via Instagram:
Akiyama (14-6, 2 NC) has not competed since Nov. 28, 2015, where he lost a split decision toAlberto Mina at a UFC Fight Night event in Seoul, South Korea. He compiled a 2-5 record inside the Octagon, with decision wins over Alan Belcher and Amir Sadollah and losses to the likes ofJake Shields, Vitor Belfort, and Michael Bisping. Three of Akiyama’s UFC appearances ended with him receiving a Fight of the Night bonus.
In his native Korea (where he is known as Choo Sung-hoon), Akiyama has some measure of fame outside of fighting, making appearances in various reality TV shows including a regular role as a celebrity dad in The Return of Superman. He has represented both South Korea and Japan in international judo competitions.
Previously, Akiyama has competed at welterweight and middleweight, but it is not yet known in which division he will compete for ONE.
Akiyama is the latest of ONE’s recent high-profile acquisitions, which includes former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Miesha Tate (the latter in a non-fighting capacity).
