Kairat Akhmetov believes he’s "one step away" from putting Kazakhstan on MMA map

Former ONE flyweight world champion ‘The Kazakh’ Kairat Akhmetov believes he is only one fight away from turning the corner in his career and reclaiming the ONE Championship flyweight throne.

After his impressive one-sided unanimous decision victory over the streaking Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 10 a couple of weeks ago, Akhmetov was immediately lined up for a shot at reigning ONE flyweight world champion ‘Mighty Mouse’ Demetrious Johnson.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Akhmetov stated he is as close as ever to another run at the ONE world title.

‘The Kazakh’ said:

“I am already halfway there, and I am only one step away from writing a new chapter in my history, that will tell the whole world who the Kazakhs are. I am ready.”

Akhmetov put on a fantastic performance at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, which took place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on May 5.

The 35-year-old ONE Championship veteran put the pace on McLaren, whose two-fight winning streak was snapped, as Akhmetov appeared as dominant as ever.

Later in the evening, Johnson scored his own unanimous decision victory over rival Adriano Moraes in their highly anticipated trilogy showdown. After the fight, Akhmetov stood face-to-face with Johnson as ONE Championship began to build hype in the potential matchup.

If you missed any of the action or just want to relive one of the most epic nights in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 10 replay can be watched via Amazon Prime in North America.