"I feel pretty confident" - Akbar Abdullaev says he's in the hot seat to grab featherweight crown from Tang Kai
Up-and-coming ONE featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev is confident that he can solve the puzzle of the reigning undisputed divisional king Tang Kai once they cross paths inside the circle.
This is what Abdullaev claimed during his interview with Sportskeeda MMA ahead of his match with fellow undefeated fighter Halil Amir at the ONE Fight Night 22 card on May 3, which goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Kyrgyzstani knockout artist revealed:
"Yeah, you know, I'm feeling good about this fight with Tang Kai. I feel pretty confident and if everything goes well I'm ready to take the belt as long as I win this fight. I'm ready to take the belt home."
See the full interview below:
Abdullaev guns for his third straight victory in the world's largest martial arts organization after securing back-to-back first-round TKO finishes in his first two bouts.
The Al Munar Team and Tiger Muay Thai representative previously defeated Oh Ho Taek in March 2023 at ONE Fight Night 8 and Aaron Canarte in July 2023 at ONE Fight Night 12.
Akbar Abdullaev also wants to compete in Muay Thai and kickboxing and gauge his power
Apart from becoming the ONE featherweight MMA world champion, Abdullaev also cited that he wants to test his power in Muay Thai and kickboxing and fight the title holders of each sport.
According to him, he doesn't have a preference between the two sports as he would bring his atomic power, which, when landed clean, could send his opponent into the shadow realm.
Catch Akbar Abdullaev and Halil Amir throw hands at ONE Fight Night 22, which will air live in U.S. primetime on May 3, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
The card will emanate inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.