Kairat Akhmetov believes his wrestling will be a decisive factor in main event tilt versus Danny Kingad

Kairat Akhmetov believes he is in the best form of his life and wants to prove why at ONE: Winter Warriors II.

‘The Kazakh’, a former ONE flyweight world champion, has completely gotten rid of an injury that bugged him for a large chunk of his career. As soon as he recovered, the 34-year-old put in extra effort to improve other aspects of his arsenal.

Kairat Akhmetov is certain that he has all the necessary tools to grant him a triumph against Danny Kingad in the pre-taped event, which airs this Friday, December 17.

However, if his newfound skills fail to get the job done, Akhmetov reckons he will go back to his roots. That is, his Greco-Roman wrestling.

Ahead of his bout at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kairat Akhmetov said in an interview with ONE Championship:

“Kingad is not one-sided. He can fight standing. He is physically strong, and he knows wrestling well. He is versatile and I like it. It will make for a competitive bout. But of course, since my wrestling skills are higher than his, I will put him down, for sure.”

Kairat Akhmetov is a well-decorated wrestler in his homeland. The Almaty native picked up the discipline in 2000 after being inspired by his father.

Kairat Akhmetov won an amateur championship title a couple of years later before claiming the national Greco-Roman wrestling championship in Kazakhstan on three occasions.

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Kairat Akhmetov is motivated by his recent run

Since losing to Geje Eustaquio, Kairat Akhmetov, Kingad’s teammate at Team Lakay, has earned three successive wins in the promotion. That stretch saw him record victories over Reece McLaren, Dae Hwan Kim and Ma Hao Bin.

Apart from it being his longest run of triumphs in ONE Championship, Kairat Akhmetov also earned a No.4-ranked spot in the division.

“I’m happy. I have three wins in a row and I am fourth in the rankings. This motivates me to become the champion.”

Things are looking much better for Kairat Akhmetov than they did in the past. A win against a fighter who sits two spots above him in the flyweight rankings could push him closer towards another title shot and a trilogy showdown against Adriano Moraes.