ONE's featherweight MMA division is one of the most talented in all of martial arts.
There's plenty of action to keep an eye on, from reigning division champion Tang Kai to a dangerous top contender for the gold medal, to an undefeated rising star looking to establish himself as a superstar.
And this interesting athlete, as undefeated phenoms Akbar Abdullaev and Khalil Amir are set to square off in prime time in the U.S. on May 3 at Prime Video's ONE Fight Night 22: Sandel vs. Diachikova. It's time to take a closer look at the collection.
ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai
The featherweight MMA division is dominated by explosive knockout artist Tang Kai, China's first men's MMA world champion.
At ONE 166 in March: Qatar, the 28-year-old returned from an extended injury break to score a highlight-reel stop over interim titleholder Tang Le to unify the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title and become the most He further solidified his status as a dangerous fighter. In the heavyweight class.
This was Tan's second world title victory over Lee, improving his original ONE Championship eligibility to 8-0 (5 finishes).
Now that the Chinese sensation has ended his rivalry with the Vietnamese-American, there will be no shortage of skilled candidates to take his shot at gold.
Garry Tonon, a rapidly rising candidate for second place in the rankings
Gary “The Lion Killer” Tonon narrowly missed out on a ONE Featherweight MMA World Title challenge against Lee in March 2022, and the outspoken American has continued to fight for another crack at the title. .
To that end, he scored three impressive submission wins and established himself as perhaps the most obvious next challenger in the division.
In his last bout, the No. 2-ranked contender made quick work of former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen, making him one of the best, if not the best, pound-for-pound submission artist. He reminded fans that. of mixed martial arts.
Akbar Abdullaev vs. Khalil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22
The co-main event of ONE Fight Night 22 will see two of the fastest rising teams in the division square off in a high-stakes matchup.
Either Akbar “Bakar” Abdullayev or Khalil “No Mercy” Amir each boast a perfect record of 10-0 and could move into the top five if they win this highly anticipated bout. There is.
Abdullaev, a 26-year-old native of Kyrgyzstan and training in Moscow, burst onto the world stage in 2023 with back-to-back first-round KO wins over O Hotek and Aaron Canarte. These blowout wins definitely drew attention to the rest of the teams in the division.
Meanwhile, “No Mercy” topped the lightweight MMA ranks with a 3-0 record, showcasing his well-rounded skill set and ruthless finishing instincts. He hopes to continue his tremendous growth in his new weight class.
Additionally, this fight is a fireworks affair, with both men fighting with the finish in mind and neither intending to take a step back.
remaining top 5
In addition to Abdullaev and Amir, the featherweight MMA division has no shortage of contenders with something to prove.
Remarkably, aside from Tonon and his three-fight winning streak, the rest of the top five in the division have lost recently to fighters ranked in the same featherweight division.
Among them are former title holder and current No. 1 contender Tan Le, Russian phenom Ilya Freimanov who is ranked 3rd, Nguyen who is ranked 4th, and grappling powerhouse Shamil who is ranked 5th. Includes “The Cobra” Gasanov.
On the other hand, Gasanov showed an overwhelming performance against South Korea's Oh Ho-taek and has already returned to the championship spot.
Considering how crowded the top MMA featherweight division is, all the fighters on this list know that they are just one or two wins away from winning their coveted world title, but if they lose, I understand that my ranking will drop.
Talent emerges at ONE Friday Fight
Ever since ONE began hosting weekly Asian prime-time fight cards at Bangkok's iconic Lumphini Boxing Stadium, the ONE Friday Fight Series has been a breeding ground for elite fighters, including ONE Women's Atomweight. Kickboxing world champion “The Queen” Pezilla and #5 ranked bantamweight mixed martial arts ranking Enku Orgil Batarfu.
The featherweight MMA fighter has also made headlines at ONE Friday Fights, and could even file a lawsuit of his own to secure a six-figure contract with the organization.
Mongolian scrapper Natin “Samurai” Sat has a 2-0 highlight-reel finish in One Friday Fight and has the physical tools and tools to reach the top of the division. Looks like he has all the technical acumen.
Additionally, 22-year-old standout Adilette “Tiger” Alimbek Ulu showed plenty of promise with his dominant debut at ONE Friday Fight in February, defeating the South Korean with a second-round submission victory. He defeated Cho Gyu Jun.
Finally, fans should keep an eye on Azerbaijan's undefeated fighter Suleyman “Sultan” Suleymanov. He scored an exciting submission victory in his ONE debut last December, pushing his professional record to 10-0.
