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Akbar Abdullaev was satisfied to prove at ONE Fight Night 27 that he's a "very strong fighter."
On Jan. 10, Abdullaev added a highly respected name to his fighting resume by defeating Tang Kai. 'Bakal' handed the featherweight MMA world champion his first promotional loss, but unfortunately didn't claim the title because of a failed weight and hydration test at the official weigh-ins.
Following his impressive finish, Abdullaev joined Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post for a post-fight fight interview. The Kyrgyzstan featherweight had this to say about his performance in the ONE Fight Night 27 main event:
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"I think that I was able to prove today - even though we didn’t take home the gold - I was able to prove that I’m a very strong fighter. I’m the best fighter. And it proves that our people is a very strong people."
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Abdullaev's failed hydration test also made him ineligible to earn a $50,000 performance bonus. Those who received the honor were Denice Zamboanga for becoming the interim women's atomweight MMA champion and Luke Lessei for securing a first-round featherweight Muay Thai technical knockout.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 27, including 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.
Check out Abdullaev's interview with Nick Atkin from the Bangkok Post below:
Akbar Abdullaev admits he "clearly messed up" by failing hydration test
Akbar Abdullaev's failed hydration test prevented him from the life-changing moment of becoming a ONE world champion. During the previously mentioned interview, Abdullaev reflected on the situation by admitting he made a mistake:
"This kind of thing happens. I never had this problem before. Actually I had to wait quite a while to get my weight and I was able to make weight, but then with the hydration, that’s where I clearly messed up. But things happen."
Akbar Abdullaev's win against Tang Kai extended his promotional record to 4-0, all KO/TKOs. The 27-year-old featherweight contender is expected to receive another opportunity to become the division's world champion soon.
Check out Akbar Abdullaev's finish against Tang below:
