Kairat Akhmetov says he’s long overdue for another shot at the world title

Going into ONE Fight Night 10, Kairat Akhmetov knows how close he is to getting a shot at the flyweight world championship.

The former titleholder last tasted defeat inside the circle back in 2018, when he lost a unanimous decision to Geje Eustaquio. Since that point, ‘The Kazakh’ has produced a run of five consecutive wins that he believes, in any other circumstances, would’ve earned him a title shot already.

Unfortunately for the 35-year old, the flyweight title has been heavily contested by Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes throughout their trilogy of fights, which will culminate at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.

Since their first fight in 2021, Johnson and Moraes have produced two great contests, with the flyweight world championship changing hands in the process.

Due to their ongoing rivalry, Akhmetov has been left with no option but to keep racking up wins until it is his time to try and reclaim what was once his.

In Broomfield, Colorado, he will face Reece McLaren in a rematch of their fight from March 2019. Speaking to ONE Championship, Kairat Akhmetov spoke about the current state of the flyweight division:

“I’ve done a lot of things to get a title fight. But in my division, Moraes now has his third fight with Johnson. I can’t just sit there and wait, so I took that fight with Reece. If it wasn’t for that fight with Johnson, I consider myself the top contender, and I think I should have fought for the title a long time ago.”

Akhemtov will look to replicate his performance against Reece McLaren the first time around and get his hand raised once again at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5. The entire event will air live and for free via Prime Video for North American viewers.