Kairat Akhmetov says he’ll ‘kill two birds with one stone’ during title fight versus Demetrious Johnson
After closing out the first trilogy of his career with a win, Demetrious Johnson quickly found himself face-to-face with the next challenger in line.
At ONE Fight Night 10, Johnson defended his flyweight world championship against Adriano Moraes with a convincing decision win that closed out the latest chapter of his rivalry to bed.
Stating in the build-up to the fight that he will make a decision behind closed doors regardless of the result inside the circle as to whether he wants to keep competing, Johnson’s next potential challenge made itself very clear.
During his celebrations after putting on a clinic in front of the fans in the sold-out 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, No.2-ranked flyweight contender Kairat Akhmetov stepped inside the circle.
Riding a six-fight win streak, the former world champion is the next official challenger to Johnson’s throne – should the MMA GOAT contender decide to extend his already iconic career even further.
For Kairat Akhmetov, this is the opportunity that he has been waiting for as he looks to tick off two huge career accomplishments at the same time – regain his ONE flyweight world title while going toe-to-toe with one of the finest athletes to ever do it, Demetrious Johnson.
In a recent interview with the promotion, he said:
“Everything’s going according to plan. If this fight happens, both of my dreams will come true – I’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
If you want to rewatch Akhmetov’s sensational win over Reece McLaren or Demetrious Johnson’s epic victory over Moraes, the ONE Fight Night 10 replay can be watched live via Amazon Prime in North America.