Akbar Abdullaev says Tang Kai finish a testament of Kyrgyztanis' unbreakable character: "We proved we are strong"

No. 5-ranked ONE featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev has sent shockwaves throughout the division after he defeated undisputed king Tang Kai in their main event battle at ONE Fight Night 27 last Friday evening.

Abdullaev scored a fifth-round TKO win over the Chinese world champion to remain undefeated. He was supposed to be the challenger for Tang's 26-pound golden belt, but their match was changed into a catchweight fight because he missed weight.

Despite not winning the championship, the Kyrgyz MMA powerhouse was still happy with his victory because he represented his country on the global stage and proved that they could be the best in the sport.

The 27-year-old fighter shared this during his in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand:

"And I think the one thing that we did today is that even though we didn't take home the title, we proved that we are strong, Kyrgyztani people are strong and we'll be back."

With this latest win, Abdullaev extended his unbeaten run in ONE Championship to four and maintained his 100 percent finishing rate.

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Akbar Abdullaev vows to get the featherweight MMA gold in a potential rematch with Tang Kai

During the same post-fight interview with 'The Dragon,' Akbar Abdulllaev said he had left his fate to the higher power because he believed that everything happened for a reason.

However, the Al Munar Team and Tiger Muay Thai-affiliated athlete promised to capture that ONE featherweight MMA gold soon when he faces Tang in a potential rematch in the foreseeable future:

"Once again, it's just up to the greater power. Some things didn't go my way, unfortunately. But it's okay. I will be back."

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action at ONE Fight Night 27 via the free event replay.