“My plan is to choke him out. If that fails, I’ll knock him out” - Kiamrian Abbasov wants to finish De Ridder

ONE welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov has a tough task awaiting him at ONE: Full Circle this Friday, February 25. The 23-4 fighter will move up a division to challenge Reinier de Ridder in the main event.

Despite the stiff test awaiting him, the 28-year-old is confident that he has trained hard enough to leave the Singapore Indoor Stadium with the biggest win of his career.

Top names like Aung La N Sang, Leandro Ataides, and Fan Rong have failed to take out ‘The Dutch Knight’, but Kiamrian Abbasov believes is well equipped to hand the undefeated fighter his first loss.

In an interview with ONE, Abbasov warned:

“He considers himself the best grappler in the world. My plan is to choke out the best grappler in the world. If the plan fails, I'll knock him out. I'm coming for you and my second belt. I want to be the first man to give him a loss.”

Kiamrian Abbasov is a man of few words. On most occasions, he lets his performances do the talking.

The welterweight star nicknamed ‘Brazen’ ragdolled Agilan ‘Alligator’ Thani when the pair met in December 2018. His power, explosiveness, and skillset were far superior to the Malaysian fighter. He took out Agilan via rear-naked choke in 155 seconds.

His superior arsenal was also on show when he outclassed former division king Zebaztian Kadestam, Yushin Okami, and James Nakashima. Those triumphs showed why he sits atop the welterweight mountain.

De Ridder, however, doesn't think much of Kiamrian Abbasov’s abilities. The 28-year-old star is fine with that, expressing in the interview that he is comfortable playing the role of an underdog.

‘Brazen’ views his upcoming tussle as a chance for him to surprise the Breda native:

“I love that he's underestimating me. It motivates me even more. It's a big advantage.”

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Kiamrian Abbasov opens up on possible light heavyweight challenge

If he successfully defeats ‘The Dutch Knight’ in the main event this Friday, 'Brazen' will take over the Dutchman’s spot as the promotion’s two-division world champion.

But 'Brazen' told ONE that he won't stop there. The wrestling and striking specialist warned de Ridder that he would love to have an immediate rematch for the light heavyweight strap instead.

“After this fight, you'll only have one belt left. And maybe I'll take that one too. Two kings can't live on the same mountain,” he asserted.

His path to the light heavyweight crown might not be easy. But should he take out de Ridder at ONE: Full Circle, the welterweight king will have every right to look for new opportunities in another weight division.