“It’s on me to put on my best performance” – Rade Opacic says he must ‘handle’ Iraj Azizpour before lighting up world title dream

Serbian knockout artist Rade Opacic will look to make an example out of Iraj Azizpour.

Riding back-to-back wins against Giannis Stoforidis and Guto Inocente, Opacic will look to make it three in a row when he meets feared Iranian kickboxing star Iraj Azizpour. The two heavyweight sensations will square off this Sunday, January 28 at ONE 165 when the promotion returns to Tokyo, Japan, for a night of can’t-miss fights.

Having won his last two bouts decisively, one by KO and another via unanimous decision, Rade Opacic could very well be one big performance away from claiming his first shot at ONE Championship gold. But he knows that to reach his goal, he has to focus on the task at hand and not look ahead to the future.

“I’m not going to look too many steps forward because first, I have to handle this,” Opacic said in an interview with ONE. “It’s on me to put on my best performance and to keep beating everybody, to keep chasing my dreams and making them come true.”

Iraj Azizpour ready to derail Rade Opacic’s title aspirations

Rade Opacic’s opponent, Iraj Azizpour, burst onto the scene in 2021, earning three straight victories against Anderson Silva, Ismael Londt, and Bruno Chaves to establish himself as a formidable force in the heavyweight division.

However, the former KLF kickboxing champion suffered his first setback inside the Circle in November, coming up short against Roman Kryklia in the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Final.

Azizpour will be looking to bounce back and earn his 69th career victory. Who comes out on top in ONE 165’s lone heavyweight clash? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.