"After my victory, I want to fight for the belt" - Halil Amir says road to featherweight crown begins at ONE Fight Night 22
Turkish knockout specialist Halil Amir hopes a big win against Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 22 will set him on the right path to a world title showdown.
The 29-year-old puts his power to the test in a new division against the Kyrgyzstan warrior in featherweight MMA action that will broadcast live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, May 3.
'No Mercy,' however, knows he will have to put in the necessary work even if he maintains his perfect streak against Abdullaev.
Regardless, he is willing to work his way step by step in a bid to knock for a ONE featherweight MMA world title matchup against Tang Kai.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Halil Amir offered:
"After my victory, I want to fight for the belt or with someone from the top five rankings."
The promotion's 155-pound division won't be short of credible tests for the Antalya native. But it appears that he is all geared up to knock them down one by one.
Should he leave the Mecca of Muay Thai with a victory at ONE Fight Night 22, the former-ranked lightweight athlete can expect to mingle with top names in the featherweight category such as Shamil Gasanov (No.5), Martin Nguyen (No.4), Ilya Freymanov (No.3), Garry Tonon (No.2) before a fight against top-ranked Thanh Le or a world title contest against Tang.
Whichever path he takes, Halil Amir is sure to leave it all on the global stage in his chase for a career-first MMA world title, a mission that unfolds against Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 22.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live and for free in U.S. primetime this Friday, May 3.
ONE Fight Night 22 full card
Smilla Sundell (c) vs Natalia Diachkova (ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title)
Akbar Abdullaev vs Halil Amir (MMA - featherweight)
Sinsamut Klinmee vs Dmitry Menshikov (Muay Thai - lightweight)
Maurice Abevi vs Zhang Lipeng (MMA - lightweight)
Hiroki Akimoto vs Wei Rui (Kickboxing - bantamweight)
Reece McLaren vs Hu Yong (MMA - flyweight)
Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong vs Bogdan Shumarov (Kickboxing - lightweight)
Chihiro Sawada vs Noelle Grandjean (MMA - atomweight)
Thongpoon PK Saenchai vs Zakaria El Jamari (Muay Thai - strawweight)
Nanami Ichikawa vs Bianca Basilio (Submission grappling - 132-pounds)
Sean Climaco vs Josue Cruz (Muay Thai - flyweight)