WATCH: Iranian juggernaut Amir Aliakbari flaunts his power and sneaky athleticism against former champ Arjan Bhullar in Qatar
Iranian fighter Amir Aliakbari has been on a rampage of late, solidifying his standing as a formidable force in ONE Championship's heavyweight MMA division. He has won his last four matches by finishes and is out for more.
His most recent victory was over former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar back in March in Qatar, where he overwhelmed the Indian-Canadian fighter with his uncanny combo of power and athleticism. The Tehran native was unforgiving in his assault, leaving his opponent with little to give en route to being disqualified in the third round for inactivity.
ONE Championship relived the fight between Aliakbari and Bhullar for fight fans by uploading it on Instagram.
Check out the IG post below:
The post was in line for the scheduled return to action of Amir Aliakbari on Nov. 8 at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. There, he will take on erstwhile streaking Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida.
Both are angling for a big win in their showdown in what could well be a title eliminator.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Amir Aliakbari seeks to continue impressive turnaround at ONE 169
Amir Alikabari has been having it great of late but such was not the case early in his ONE Championship journey, where he started off things with back-to-back losses.
The Iranian fighter made his promotional debut in March 2021 after making a name for himself in Greco-Roman wrestling and MMA on the European circuit.
His first opponent was Kang Ji Won of South Korea, who made short work of him in his debut, with a first-round knockout. His second match six months later also followed the same route against current heavyweight king Anatoly Malykhin.
Things started to turn around for Amir Aliakbari when he beat Italian Mauro Cerilli by TKO in August 2022. He followed it up with another KO win over former heavyweight champion Brandon Vera in December of the same year.
His winning momentum continued in July 2023, with a first-round submission win over Canadian Dustin Joynson. Aliakbari's last victory came in March over ex-heavyweight title holder Arjan Bhular by way of disqualification (inactivity).
Amir Aliakbari now looks to sustain his impressive turnaround when he takes on BJJ legend Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Nov. 8 in Thailand.
In 'Buchecha,' he is up against an opponent who is looking to bounce back after absorbing his first defeat in ONE in his last fight in August last year.