Kairat Akhmetov enamored by his time training in America

Former ONE flyweight world champion ‘The Kazakh’ Kairat Akhmetov has recalled the time he spent going from gym to gym in the United States to better his skills. The 35-year-old remembers training at facilities like the world-renowned Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Now that Akhmetov is finally headed back to America for his next fight, the experience has brought back fond memories of the country.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, the veteran fighter talked about his time training across the continental U.S., and how excited he is to return.

‘The Kazakh’ said:

“I was thrilled to be in America and train with the best fighters in the world. I liked the mentality of the people. I felt that America was truly a land of opportunity. I had seen it in the movies, how people lived in America, and it didn’t disappoint. Actually, America turned out to be exactly the same in real life as it was in the movies. I was impressed.”

Kairat Akhmetov is set to return to the land of the free when he heads to ONE Fight Night 10 in Colorado. The former divisional king will square off with familiar foe ‘Lightning’ Reece McLaren in a pivotal flyweight contest.

ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video will be broadcast live from 1stBank Center in Colorado on Friday, May 5. The sold-out event is ONE Championship’s historic first-ever on-ground event in the U.S.

As always, it will stream live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime subscription.