Akbar Abdullaev made a statement that he should be considered the top-ranked featherweight contender in ONE Championship. At ONE Fight Night 22, he maintained his perfect professional record with a crushing KO over Halil Amir. The bonus-winning performance meant a lot to the ascending contender.
Abdulaev Talks ONE Fight Night 22 KO: “I’m feeling my best”
“I’m feeling great. I have so many emotions now so it’s really difficult to describe everything with words. I’m feeling great. I’m feeling the best. It’s like a dream now. I’m feeling like I’m in a dream, and I’m happy. I’m really happy,” Abdullaev told ONE after the event.
Much was made about Amir’s featherweight debut. He, too, was an undefeated athlete making waves and was coming off three victories in the lightweight division. By moving down, Amir was hoping to take advantage of his size.
In addition to that, Amir had been training with Khabib Nurmagomedov in Dagestan. However, he was unable to utilize those tools to their fullest against the Kyrgyz athlete. At ONE Fight Night 22, Abdullaev made it a point to out-wrestle the Turkish star, almost as if proving a point to the world.
“When it comes to my wrestling, many people say they were surprised, but you guys need to understand, since childhood, I was wrestling. If you Google Kyrgyzstan, we have one of the best teams in the world. Wrestling is pretty big in Kyrgyzstan. And I [have been] wrestling since childhood. But MMA, it’s not just hugging and takedowns and just staying on the floor. It’s all about [putting on] a good show. It’s all about strikes; it’s all about throwing punches and kicks as well. So of course, I was trying to show everyone that I can do everything,” Abdullaev stated.
After the win, Abdullaev made it known he wants a shot at the ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship. With another empathic showing, he unquestionably has the attention of Tang Kai, the current divisional king. Abdullaev made it clear that if the title match comes, he will continue doing what has brought him to a perfect 11-0 record and a 100% finishing rate.
“I’m not gonna do anything new. It’s gonna be the same strategy, because he’s also really strong [in the standup]. He’s a pretty good striker. I’m pretty sure we’re going to do the same things we do well. We’re gonna be striking, but at the same time, we’re gonna do wrestling too. I’m going to win. At the same time, I’m pretty confident of my skills. I’m pretty confident about all my weapons, and I’m gonna use it, and I’m gonna win,” Abdullaev said.
