SUMMARY
- Akbar Abdullaev defeated Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22.
- Here is a list of fighters who can be his next potential opponents.
Kyrgyz contender Akbar Abdullaev is hot on the heels of ONE’s featherweight MMA top five. “Bakal” added his third performance bonus in as many appearances on the global stage this past weekend when he knocked out undefeated Turkish contender Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video on May 3.
Inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ring after the fight, Abdullaev called for a World Title shot.
“I’m calling for Tang Kai. I want to fight for the belt, give me Tang Kai,” he said. But there will surely be several options on the table for the 26-year-old rising star if he doesn’t get his wish. Here are the most likely.
Martin Nguyen
Martin Nguyen could be the statement scalp that Abdullaev needs. “The Situ-Asian” is a bona fide ONE legend who once reigned as both the ONE Featherweight and Lightweight MMA World Champion. The Australian is now looking to rebuild after a 2-3 run since losing his featherweight MMA belt to Thanh Le, which could set up a mouth-watering “crossroads” battle with Abdullaev.
View this post on Instagram
Fourth-ranked Nguyen might prefer a rematch with Le, who is also coming off a loss, but a showdown between two noted finishers in he and Abdullaev could be a hard prospect for ONE matchmakers to pass up.
Ilya Freymanov
Ilya Freymanov stormed onto the global scene with two crushing wins in his first two ONE Championship outings. The Russian dispatched Nguyen and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in dramatic fashion to land himself straight into the #3 slot in the featherweight MMA rankings.
View this post on Instagram
Freymanov has been inactive since an October 2023 submission defeat to Le, and he now finds himself in search of a dance partner to aid the renewal of his World Title push. Abdullaev could prove to be the man for the job and, stylistically, a fight with Freymanov is guaranteed fireworks.
Shamil Gasanov
Shamil Gasanov is possibly the least likely given that he is coming off a win, but the #5 featherweight MMA contender could be the logical next step for Abdullaev given his ranking. “The Cobra” rebounded from his first professional loss with a dominant display against Oh Ho Taek in January’s ONE Fight Night 18 main event.
View this post on Instagram
The Russian has been tabbed as a potential opponent for Nguyen in the past, but Gasanov may have to look outside of the rankings for his next test if the cards fall elsewhere in the featherweight MMA sweepstakes. In that case, surely Abdullaev is the next man up for a crack at a top-five opponent.