"Real king" - Fans all out in their support for Iranian brawler Amir Aliakbari in looming Bangkok showdown against 'Buchecha'
After a rough start to his ONE Championship tenure, Amir Aliakbari has turned the tables and won his last four matches to remain relevant in the heavyweight ttle conversation.
His latest victory was against former divisional king Arjan Bhullar in their heavyweight MMA battle at ONE 166: Qatar, where he picked up a third-round disqualification win due to the Indian's inactivity during the match.
Several of Aliakbari's highlights from that bout were recently looked back by the world's largest martial arts organization through an Instagram video:
"Brace for impact 😤 Can Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari overpower BJJ icon Buchecha in their clash at ONE 169? @amiraliakbari60"
The video highlighted the 36-year-old's incredible elusiveness and counter ability. He evaded Bhullar's punches and answered with a blitz of his own combinations.
This sequence from that fight has convinced several fans that he can cruise to victory against BJJ icon Marcus Almeida in their upcoming heavyweight scrap on Nov. 8. The clash is part of the ONE 169 card, which takes place inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Users @mehran_mohammadiazar, @coach_dusseault, @hosseinestekii, @midwiferyclub, @sheydaiem, and @hamid_ramin6 gave their praise to the Iranian knockout artist and expect him to flatten 'Buchecha'. They commented:
"Real King AAA"
"Got the explosion and power!!! 🔥🔥"
"Iranian tiger 🐯🇮🇷"
"no opponent will last against him 🦾💯💥🇮🇷"
"Undoubtedly always victorious...🇮🇷"
"Amir will Finish buchecha"
Marcus Almeida confident that he can finish Amir Aliakbari in their match at ONE 169
Although he is coming off a tough unanimous decision loss at the hands of Oumar Kane in his previous ONE Championship match at ONE Fight Night 13, Almeida's confidence is at all-time high ahead of his match against Aliakbari.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, the American Top Team and Evolve MMA representative shared that his full preparation for this bout could steer him into a stoppage win, as he explained:
"It's hard to make a prediction but if possible, I'd like to end the fight before three rounds, either by submission or knockout. I've trained a lot for this. And I see that the fight could end in either of these ways."
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can watch all the action at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 live and for free.