"Dream on!" - Kiamrian Abbasov hits back on Reinier de Ridder's prediction for their match

Kiamrian Abbasov is not taking any criticism from Reinier de Ridder lying down.

De Ridder is the reigning and defending ONE middleweight world champion. He previously claimed that he will dominate Abbasov in every second of their bout at ONE: Full Circle on Friday. However, ‘Brazen’ vehemently disagrees.

In a recent interview, Abbasov, the ONE welterweight world champion, said that his opponent is just talking a big game:

“I’d say ‘Dream on!’ Many fighters talk big before entering the cage, assuming they will be just as dominant after the cage door shuts. The reality is like this - fighting is very unpredictable and a bout can go a million different ways.”

Both men are well-rounded fighters who have explosive power behind their strikes and can be highly technical on the ground. If there are any two fighters who can provide multiple ways to finish a match, it will be De Ridder and Abbasov.

Kiamrian Abbasov also believes that De Ridder may be underestimating him by predicting an early finish. However, he says he will let ‘The Dutch Knight’ think what he wants to think. He said:

“Many people could have beaten me, but whose hand was raised at the end of each fight? Mine! And those guys either got knocked out or lost on points. If De Ridder thinks our fight will be like a pleasant walk in the park, let him think that. It plays to my advantage.”

Kiamrian Abbasov hopes to make his family proud

Kiamrian Abbasov’s quest for a second world title is not just driven by selfish desires of glory.

The Kyrgyzstan MMA fighter had to overcome a difficult childhood in order to reach this stage of his journey. Abbasov was raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. He had to drop out of school to help her cope with the expenses of their household.

Since then, he has dreamed of giving his mother a better life. Abbasov started his martial arts journey in his teenage years, becoming enamored with boxing and was later trained by his uncle to wrestle. He got his first MMA win when he was 18, and has not looked back since. He is currently leading Kyrgyzstan MMA as a ONE world champion.

Even after winning the ONE welterweight world title, he remains hungry for victory so that his family may continue to live a good life. He said:

“Winning the second World Title would be a new achievement for me and my family would be very proud of me, too. We are in it together.”

On Friday, February 25, Kiamrian Abbasov will have a chance to give his family another reminder that their difficult past is nothing more than a distant memory now.