Kairat Akhmetov meant no disrespect to Demetrious Johnson after crashing post-fight interview

Kairat Akhmetov is going for the ONE flyweight world title of Demetrious Johnson and he did not waste time making his intentions known.

‘The Kazakh’ was inside the circle after ‘Mighty Mouse’ successfully defended the flyweight gold against former division king Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5 in Denver, Colorado.

Demetrious Johnson was a unanimous decision winner over Moraes in their trilogy world title fight, which headlined ONE Championship’s well-received first-ever live on-ground event in the United States.

Just as the champion was being interviewed, Kairat Akhmetov, who also won at the landmark ONE U.S. show, made his way to the circle. After being acknowledged by Johnson, the two engaged in an intense staredown before being separated by their camps.

In an interview with ONE Championship following the event, the 35-year-old Kairat Akhmetov, who is also a former ONE flyweight world champion, underscored that he meant no disrespect to Johnson when he went inside the circle. He said:

“I didn’t want to disrespect Demetrious. I came into the [circle], congratulated him, told him he was a legend and that I didn’t want to take away his moment of glory. I stood there to show everyone that I was the real next challenger.”

Kairat Akhmetov, the No. 2 contender in the division, has been on an impressive roll, winning his last six fights. He defeated Australian Reece McLaren by unanimous decision in their rematch at ONE Fight Night 10.

The 1stBank Center in Denver was the venue for ONE Fight Night 10. Replay of all the action that took place in the historic U.S. show is available in North America via Amazon Prime.