On Friday, May 3, Akbar Abdullaev will get a chance to keep his professional record perfect at ONE Fight Night 22 and ascend into ONE Championship’s featherweight upper echelon.
To do so, he will have to defeat Halil Amir, a lightweight contender dropping down to make waves in a new division. The prospect of taking on another heavy-handed finisher is just another exciting part of the matchup for “Bakal.”
“Everything is interesting about this fight. It will be a puncher against another puncher. We are both undefeated with a strong fighting character, and we both give great shows,” Abdullaev told ONE.
Amir is also perfect in his career, and has three wins in ONE’s lightweight division. Abdullaev understands the tall order ahead of him, especially with Amir learning under one of the all-time greats, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“My first impression of him is that he is a good fighter. He is agile, moves well, and is a good puncher,” Abdullaev said.
“I think preparing at Khabib’s training camp will give him confidence, so he will be more dangerous. He was born in Kyrgyzstan, so he is tough. Let’s see how he does when he moves down to our division.”
Although Amir is dropping to featherweight to take advantage of his strength and power in a lower weight division, “Bakal” is banking on using his intellect.
The undefeated Kyrgyz athlete is prepping to exploit “No Mercy” and lay claim to being a contender for the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title.
“My most dangerous weapon is a good attitude and knowledge. You’ll see Amir’s weaknesses in the ring,” the featherweight hopeful remarked.
“My prediction for the fight is always the same – the ring will be the judge. Whoever forces his style on the match will win.”
The gold is gleaming in Abdullaev’s eye as he senses how close he is to a shot at the title. With Tang Kai watching closely, “Bakal” wants to keep his streak rolling to make his case for an incredible title tilt later in 2024.
“It is very important for me to stay undefeated. There is a demand for undefeated fighters. I joined this organization to be the best. After this fight, I want a chance to fight for the belt against the World Champion,” Abdullaev said.
ONE Fight Night 22 airs live on Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.