“He was a very strong opponent” - Akbar Abdullaev shows respect for Tang Kai after thrilling five-rounder at ONE Fight Night 27

Akbar Abdullaev credited Tang Kai for being a "very strong opponent."

On January 10, Abdullaev faced the toughest challenge of his career, a main event bout against ONE featherweight MMA world champion. Unfortunately, Abdullave failed his fight week hydration test, making him ineligible to claim the title.

Nonetheless, Abdullaev capitalized on the platform provided and proved why he's one of the best featherweight MMA fighters on the planet. The undefeated 27-year-old defeated Tang by fifth-round knockout, pushing his overall professional record to 12-0, including four wins in ONE, all KO/TKOs.

Following his statement-making performance, Abdullaev joined Mitch Chilson inside the ring for a post-fight interview. 'Bakal' had this to say:

"I want to say thank you to the higher power, I want to say thank you to God, this is all thanks to him. And I also want to say thank you to my opponent, he was a very strong opponent."

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 27, including Akbar Abdullaev's dominant win against Tang Kai, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Last Friday's event featured Denice Zamboanga becoming the interim women's atomweight MMA world champion, Kulabdam securing a comeback Muay Thai win against John Lineker, and more.

Watch the fight-ending sequence between Abdullaev and Tang below:

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Akbar Abdullaev and Tang Kai destined for rematch

Akbar Abdullaev may not have been eligible for gold at ONE Fight Night 27 but that doesn't mean he didn't benefit from the win. Abdullaev silenced any doubters claiming he'd struggle against a world champion, proving he belongs amongst ONE Championship's elite talent.

Abdullaev also handed Tang Kai his first promotional loss, with the Chinese world champion previously holding an 8-0 record. Tang now looks to avenge the defeat when he inevitably faces Abdullaev in a rematch.

The ONE Fight Night 27 main event was changed to a catchweight. Therefore, Tang remained the featherweight MMA world champion compared to similar situations where the title would be vacant with a loss.

Abdullaev is undoubtedly worthy of another chance to become a ONE world champion, making the rematch against Tang needed later this year.