'Hard-working' Akbar Abdullaev on third successive bonus-winning KO in ONE Championship: "It's easy"

Line them up, and he will knock them down. That very much is true about featherweight MMA upstart Akbar Abdullaev.

The Kyrgyzstan warrior earned his third consecutive knockout in the promotion against Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22, which went down inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium last Friday, May 3.

While at that, the Al Munar Team and Tiger Muay Thai athlete has been cashing in on the US$50,000 performance bonuses awarded to every standout martial artist on the promotion's numbered events and Fight Night cards.

As easy as it seems for the highly-skilled knockout specialist, the 26-year-old knows his success is down to him laying the groundwork that eventually steered him on the path he enjoys today.

Akbar Abdullaev told the South China Morning Post after his win in Bangkok:

"It's easy. Thanks to God, it's all because of God, my prayer, and, of course, my hard work."

Watch the full interview here:

Surely, through hard work, dedication, and determination, anything can be made possible. However, his crazy knockout power – if anything – has also played an instrumental role in his success.

His truck-like fists were the decider once more as they helped him improve his overall resume to 11-0 inside the Thai capital last week. Simultaneously, the Moscow-based warrior maintained his perfect finishing record.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can relive his epic win at ONE Fight Night 22 via the free event replay.

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What could be on the horizon for Akbar Abdullaev?

While there has been talk about a potential world title matchup, the Kyrgyz upstart will have to go through the men that keep him apart from ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai.

If his victory last week doesn't land him in the No.5 spot, Akbar Abdullaev can map his way to the peak versus the man sitting in the final ranked place, Shamil Gasanov.

However, should that not be the case, a date against Martin Nguyen (No.4) or Ilya Freymanov (No.3) are logical options. Like Akbar Abdullaev, both men have tremendous abilities to shut down opponents early.

Another exciting clash that could be booked might come alongside No.2-ranked Garry Tonon. However, the American grappling star is touted as a heavy favorite to challenge Tang next.

Alternatively, a battle with top-ranked Thanh Le would be a match that has a knockout written all over it.