his previous bout, Akiyama announced his contract with ONE Championship. Akiyama faced Agilan Thani in a co-headliner bout at ONE Championship: Legendary Quest on June 20, 2019. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Akiyama faced Sherif Mohamed at ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle on February 28, 2020. Akiyama won the fight via knockout in the first round, his first stoppage via strikes in nearly 13 years. Akiyama was initially scheduled to face Mohammad Karaki at ONE on TNT 3 on April 21, 2021. However, the bout was cancelled and Akiyama was supposed to face Eduard Folayang at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28, 2021. But due to suffering an injury during training camp, Akiyama pulled out of the fight and the bout was subsequently scrapped. Akiyama faced Shinya Aoki at ONE: X on March 26, 2022. After getting dominated for most of the first round, nearly getting submitted, Akiyama went on to win by technical knockout in the second round. Fighting style As a former gold medalist in the sport, Akiyama stands out in MMA for his style of judo. His usage of it is mainly defensive, as he rarely indulges in the art's signature throws. Instead, Akiyama focuses mostly on defending takedowns in order to brawl with his opponent or getting top position on the mat to perform ground and pound. However, he has shown skill with harai goshi, kosoto gake and ouchi gari/osoto gari combinations, as well as the more complex uchi mata. Also, thanks to his knowledge of grip fighting, he is often successful in catching low kicks and following with sharp counterpunching. Personal life Choo Sung-hoon's great-grandfather, Choo Jeong-won, was born in Jeju County, Jeollanam-do, Korean Empire (now Jeju City). During the Imperial Japanese occupation of Korea, Choo Jeong-won and his family sailed to Japan and adopted Japanese names to help settle in. In March 2009, Akiyama married famous Japanese fashion model Shiho Yano (also known as SHIHO in Japan) whom he had been dating since January 2007. The couple have a daughter, Choo Sarang, who was born on October 24, 2011. Akiyama and Sarang starred in the reality show, The Return of Superman, covering their father-daughter relationship. He names Heavyweight Champion boxer Mike Tyson as his hero and holds a University degree in Commerce. He is close friends with South Korean actor Jang Keun-suk. In September 2015, Akiyama also appeared as