"And new champion" - Kyrgyz fans in full support of their countryman Akbar Abdullaev ahead of world title showdown against Tang Kai

Undefeated challenger and current number five-rated contender Akbar Abdullaev is set to challenge the reign of ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai in the division, as they will headline the ONE Fight Night 27 card on Jan. 10 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

ONE Championship has recently teased fans with what Abdullaev could bring to the table on their championship clash with a video on Instagram that they captioned with:

"Pure determination 🏞️👊 What tactics will Akbar Abdullaev use to claim the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title from Tang Kai at ONE Fight Night 27 on @primevideo? @akbar.abdullaeb.mma"

The video featured a clip of the Kyrgyz MMA star shadowboxing high up the mountains as part of his preparation against the Chinese world champion.

Abdullaev was seen practicing his striking skills, including a few aerial attacks that he intends to land against Tang in their match.

This hyped up the fans, particularly his compatriots as users @_urmatbek0v._, @bubaev.t.t, @abdykadyr0w_01, @samadov.24, and @zhany5aev showed their support for him through their comments:

"And new champion Kyrgyz 🇰🇬🇰🇬🇰🇬"

"🇰🇬🇰🇬🇰🇬 In any case we will take the belt and let it polish"

"@akbar.abdullaev.mma only gas bro 🇰🇬"

"ONE Champions In Sha Allah ☝️ 🇰🇬 💥"

"New champion 🇰🇬🇰🇬🇰🇬 @akbar.abdullaev.mma"

Screenshot of fans' comments

Akbar Abdullaev and Tang Kai headline a stacked event with other ONE stars

Apart from the main attraction for the ONE featherweight MMA world title, the ONE Fight Night 27 card will also see another world title on the line. Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna will battle for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title.

Other notable athletes who will see action in the Thai capital are American Muay Thai sensation Luke Lessei, former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker, Tatsumitsu Wada, Timofey Nastyukhin, and Meng Bo.