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Ahead of his fight at ONE Championship: Winter Warriors II on December 17, let's revisit the time when Kairat 'The Kazakh' Akhmetov proved he's more than just a wrestler.
The former Greco-Roman wrestling champion met ONE Championship veteran Reese McLaren in the quarterfinals of the ONE flyweight Grand Prix tournament.
Largely known as the dominant wrestler, Akhmetov showed some remarkable striking against McLaren.
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Right off the bat, Akhmetov diversified his attack by mixing his clinch entries with tight hooks inside. What Akhmetov does so well is strike within the clinch even when he's not attempting a takedown. That tactic worked so well that it kept McLaren guessing whether 'The Kazakh' would take him down or punch him.
With his fight against dangerous Wushu striker Danny 'The King' Kingad on December 17, Akhmetov would do well to employ this tactic. His wrestling and grappling are already considered threats but if Akhmetov mixes in his clinch striking, it will be a long night for his Filipino foe.
Watch the full Akhmetov vs. McLaren fight below:
Kairat Akhmetov headlines ONE Championship: Winter Warriors II against Danny Kingad
At ONE: Winter Warriors II, the main event will feature Team Lakay's young dynamo Danny 'The King' Kingad facing off against former ONE Championship flyweight champion Kairat Akhmetov.
The two were set to meet in 2019 as part of the ONE Championship Flyweight World Grand Prix. Akhmetov, however, was injured and was forced to withdraw. After a few more delays in the years that followed, the anticipation for the match just grew and grew.
Come December 17, we'll finally see the two collide in a possible title eliminator bout. Akhmetov will face a dynamic and explosive striker in Kingad. 'The Kazakh' has to pull out his wrestling bag of tricks and more to get past the onslaught of 'The King'.
Tune in on December 17 to watch the action and drama unfold.
