Akbar Abdullaev has released a statement saying he should be considered a top featherweight contender in ONE Championship. At ONE Fight Night 22, he maintained his perfect professional record with an overwhelming KO win over Khalil Amir. The bonus-earning performance meant a lot to the championship contenders.
Abdullaev on ONE Fight Night 22 KO: 'It feels great'
“I feel so good. It's really hard to explain everything in words because I have so many emotions right now. I feel so good. It's the best feeling. It's like a dream right now. A dream. I feel like I’m inside and I’m happy. I’m really happy,” Abdullaev told ONE after the event.
Much has been made about Amir's featherweight debut. He also attracted attention as an undefeated athlete, winning three times in the lightweight division. Amir wanted to take advantage of his size by getting underneath him.
In addition to that, Amir was training with Khabib Nurmagomedov in Dagestan. However, he was unable to make the most of those tools against the Kyrgyz players. At ONE Fight Night 22, Abdullaev seemed to prove his point to the world by defeating the Turkish star.
“A lot of people say they were surprised when it came to my wrestling, but you guys have to understand, I’ve been wrestling since I was a kid. If you Google Kyrgyzstan, you’ll find the best team in the world. You can find one in Kyrgyzstan where wrestling is quite popular. [have been] I've been wrestling since I was a kid. But MMA, it's not just hugs and takedowns and just sitting on the floor.that's all [putting on] good show. It's all about strikes. Throwing punches and kicks is also important. So of course I was trying to show everyone that I can do anything,” Abdullaev said.
After his win, Abdullaev revealed that he wants to challenge for the ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship. By once again showing empathy, he has definitely caught the attention of current division champion Tang Kai. Abdullaev made it clear that if a title fight were to materialize, he would continue the track record that has given him a perfect 11-0 record and 100% completion rate.
“I'm not going to do anything new. He's also really strong so it'll be the same strategy. [in the standup]. He's a pretty good striker. I'm sure we're going to do the same thing that we do so well. We're going to strike, but we're also going to wrestle. I'm going to win. At the same time, I'm pretty confident in my skills. I am quite confident in all my weapons, so I will use them to win, ”Abdulayev said.