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Kyrgyzstani standout and now former ONE welterweight world champion ‘Brazen’ Kiamrian Abbasov has expressed his intent to compete against other world champions from different promotions. He lost his belt on the scales at the official weigh-ins for ONE on Prime Video 4.
The 29-year-old ONE Championship veteran spoke to the organization in a recent interview. He proposed once again that a cross-promotion between ONE and the UFC take place, with him taking on newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira.
Pereira took the belt from long-time champion Israel Adesanya last weekend at UFC 281 via an emphatic technical knockout victory. However, Abbasov feels he could be just the man to derail that hype train:
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“I would like to propose that ONE Championship matches one champion against another one. How about ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov against the UFC’s new world champion Alex Pereira? I've never tried proving anything to anyone. I only have to prove it to myself, that I can do it, that I have come a long, long way. It's just going to be another fight for me.”
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Of course, the Kyrgyzstani star will need to focus on what’s coming next for him before anything else. He has a monumental task against another legitimate threat in his division this Friday.
Abbasov will face ONE lightweight world champion Christian ‘The Warrior’ Lee in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4. The event broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, November 18 (US primetime) and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription.
After failing to pass weight and hydration, Kiamrian Abbasov has been stripped of the welterweight world title and forfeited 20% of his purse to Lee. The bout will take place at a catchweight of 186.25 pounds and only Lee will be eligible to win the welterweight strap.
Kiamrian Abbasov’s confidence is not shaken by getting world title stripped
Losing the world title on the scales is never a good feeling, but Kiamrian Abbasov appears to be taking it with grace and remains confident that he will come away with a win on Friday night.
During the ceremonial weigh-ins and face-offs for ONE on Prime Video 4, Abbasov got a bit too close to Christian Lee and may have whispered something to his upcoming opponent. Later, when asked about his thoughts on Lee and losing his world title on the scales, ‘Brazen’ had this to say:
“He’s not gonna last five rounds. Mark my words, it’s only gonna last three rounds. The belt is not the most important thing. The most important thing is who is the champion, and in my division, I am the champion.”
While Kiamrian Abbasov will not be eligible to win the strap in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4, he will want to assert his dominance in the division by defeating the latest challenger to the throne.
