“He will be more dangerous” – Akbar Abdullaev expects much-improved Halil Amir after training with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Kyrgyzstani MMA sensation Akbar Abdullaev is on back-to-back wins in ONE Championship heading to his bout with Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3. With two straight TKO wins on the global stage, you can make the argument that if Abdullaev similarly beats Amir, he might be looking at his first world title shot.
Amir won't be a walk in the park for Abdullaev, however, considering who the former has been training with for this bout. As it turned out, the Turkish MMA star has been training with MMA legend and Russian sporting icon Khabib Nurmagomedov in preparation for this bout.
This seems to excite Abdullaev, however, telling ONE:
“Yes, definitely Khabib's training camp will give him confidence, he will be more dangerous!”
Training with 'The Eagle' certainly will improve anyone's MMA game. The retired lightweight legend is one of the very best ever - and one of the few world champions to retire undefeated.
Akbar Abdullaev intends to keep undefeated record and perfect finishing rate intact at ONE Fight Night 22
Just like the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, Akbar Abdullaev is undefeated. Unlike 'The Eagle', however, he has a 100% finishing rate. 'Bakal' boasts nine wins via KO/TKO and one via submission.
Not many active MMA fighters today are currently undefeated with a perfect finishing rate, which puts Abdullaev in an elite group of athletes. On the importance of keeping his clean record intact on May 3, 'Bakal' told ONE:
"It is very important to stay undefeated. There is a demand for undefeated fighters."
In a sport where you can lose in many different ways and at any moment in a fight, keeping your record clean and intact is a near-impossible task. This is why legends like Khabib are rare to find.
Let's see if Abdullaev keeps his promise at ONE Fight Night 22, airing live on US Primetime on May 3 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.