“His strong point is obvious” – Halil Amir not taking "explosive" Akbar Abdullaev lightly ahead of ONE Fight Night 22 slugfest
Halil Amir expects nothing but pure power from Akbar Abdullaev when they square off in a pivotal featherweight MMA matchup in Bangkok.
The two knockout monsters will face off at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Amir applauded Abdullaev's explosive striking and it's an area he's fully prepared for this Friday.
"My opponent, Akbar, is a good fighter. He has explosive kicks, and he's a classic kickboxer. His strong point is obvious -- his striking technique," said Halil Amir.
Abdullaev and Amir have identical 10-0 professional records and the pair have four knockout finishes between them in ONE Championship.
Amir, whose 'No Mercy' nickname is one of the most menacing in professional sports, scored two brutal knockouts against Timofey Nastyukhin and Ahmed Mujtaba.
Abdullaev, meanwhile, finished Oh Ho Taek and Aaron Canarte in his two matches in ONE Championship.
While chalking up two straight knockout wins isn't that uncommon, what is completely absurd is Abdullaev's total match time of one minute and 25 seconds in the promotion.
ONE Fight Night 22 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Halil Amir says winning ONE Championship gold is his career goal
Halil Amir certainly made a case as one of the most terrifying fighters in ONE Championship with a perfect promotional record of 3-0, including two knockouts.
After his first-round knockout finish of Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 16, Amir told the South China Morning Post that his ultimate goal is to get a piece of ONE Championship gold.
"Having these big fights on a big stage of ONE Championship has always been a goal of mine. Obviously having the belt would be the ultimate goal and dream. It will be a good chance to represent my family if I compete for the title."
Watch his entire interview below: