ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: KYRGYZSTAN’S AKBAR ABDULLAEV STOPS TURKEY’S HALIL AMIR FOR HIS 11TH STRAIGHT WIN BUT IS HUNGRY FOR MORE

The Kyrgyz, who is set to be ranked in the top five, has fought three times for ONE Championship and earned a US$50k performance bonus each time
The 26-year-old says the 'economic difficulties' of his country have helped produced hungry fighters with a winning mentality

The numbers might not always tell the story when it comes to assessing a fighter's career but Akbar Abdullaev's are extremely impressive. The 26-year-old scored the 11th win of his MMA career at ONE Fight Night 22 last weekend and has stopped every opponent he has ever faced.

When the ONE Championship rankings are updated to reflect the results of ONE Fight Night 22, the Kyrgyzstan fighter can expect to see his name appearing in the top five after the victory over Turkey's Halil Amir.

It was Abdullaev's first bout in the featherweight division but he has now fought three times for ONE Championship and been awarded a US$50,000 performance bonus each time. He has bolstered his bank account while enhancing his title credentials.

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If you dig a little deeper, his recent numbers become even more impressive. Both Amir and Abdullaev's previous opponent, Aaron Canarte, was undefeated with unblemished 10-0 records going into their fights.

Abdullaev became the first man to beat both fighters. Speaking exclusively to the Post, he put his success down to a very simple formula:

"It's all down to prayers and hard work."

His first two ONE Championship fights were at lightweight. Abdullaev has clearly been able to drop down a division without losing any of his punching power and devastated Amir with a howitzer of a left hand.

It will be interesting to see where his name appears on the rankings. The likes of Garry Tonon and Martin Nguyen are above him and the latter appeared to be next in line for a shot at reigning featherweight champion Tang Kai.

It was put to Abdullaev that he should go straight to the top of the rankings after this latest win and he clearly concurs: "I have always believed I am number 1. My job is to be the best."

He is not the first fighter from Kyrgyzstan to enjoy success with ONE Championship, with Kiamrian Abbasov holding the welterweight title from 2020 until 2022.

Abdullaev thinks that growing up in the country helped make him hungry to succeed. According to the World Food Program, 2.3 million people in Kyrgyzstan - a third of the country's population - live below the poverty line. While this situation is clearly not ideal, Abdullaev thinks it helps the country to produce fighters with a winning mentality.

"In Kyrgyzstan, we have some economic difficulties - I think we are good because we are hungry. Our life is a fight and that is why there are so many good fighters from Kyrgyzstan."

The general view was that Tonon had done enough to earn a title shot after submitting to Nguyen at ONE 165 earlier this year. The spectacular arrival of Abdullaev on the featherweight scene has disrupted the division and the picture suddenly does not look quite as clear.

Abdullaev was offered the opportunity to call out Tang Kai. He thinks his performances inside the ring speak for themselves but made it clear he was ready to fight the champion.

"Actions speak louder than words. I can say anything but you have seen my fights. I'm 11-0 - if he was here I would fight him right now."

Before signing with ONE Championship, Abdullaev spent his entire career competing in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, beating all comers, but without there being any big names or stand-out results on his resume.

That has all changed in the past year. He has thrust himself into title contention with three hugely impressive performances and Abdullaev thinks things are starting to change.

"For all my fans and all the people who believe in me, we are going to keep moving forwards. Believe in me because it's going to be interesting."