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Undefeated ONE featherweight MMA rising star Akbar Abdullaev proved he is a complete fighter at ONE Fight Night 22 over the weekend.
Following a blitzing 10-0 start, many wondered if the heavy-handed Kyrgyz fighter had the all-around skills to hang with an athlete of Halil Amir's caliber.
Safe to say, 'Bakal' exceeded all expectations and showed everyone he's not a one-trick pony.
Surprisingly, it was the trigger-happy Abdullaev who instigated a grappling exchange early on in the battle of two fearsome strikers. The 26-year-old wore Amir down with compact shots from the clinch. Once the fight hit the mat, Abdullaev more than held his own and showcased elite grappling defense.
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Round two was more of the same, with Akbar Abdullaev bullying 'No Mercy' from the bodylock position.
With Amir focused on grappling, 'Bakal' let his hands go and detonated with a ferocious left straight that took away the Turkish fighter's undefeated record and consciousness.
After receiving a well-earned $50,000 performance bonus during his in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson, Akbar had this to say about his underrated grappling:
"[When it comes to] grappling, I am an MMA fighter. I need to do everything. I need to work with my hands, I need to work with my legs, and of course, I need to grapple. So it's like I'm ready for everything. Let them come."
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is available free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Who's next for Akbar Abdullaev?
After moving to 11-0 with a ridiculous 100 percent finishing rate, Akbar Abdullaev possibly earned himself a spot in ONE's stacked 155-pound MMA rankings.
While 'Bakal' has fearlessly called out featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai, he'll probably still need a win or two from another big name in the top five.
There are certainly plenty of intriguing matchups for the feared finisher, with guys like Thanh Le, Ilya Freymanov, and Martin Nguyen in the conversation, to name just a few.
