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Saygid Izagakhmaev made a strong debut at ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters with a submission win over wrestling specialist James Nakashima. The Russian fighter is taking his time and will look to battle either Eddie Alvarez or Shinya Aoki before taking on reigning lightweight champion Ok Rae Yoon.
Izagakhmaev called out the high-profile fighters in his post-match interview. He also elaborated in an interview with the South China Morning Post on how he would battle both contrasting lightweight competitors.
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"I think with Shiya Aoki, I would fight as a striker and I would smash him. But with Eddie Alvarez, I would do as I did today [against Nakashima], take down and submit," said Izagakhmaev.
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This will serve as a step for Izagakhmaev to get more acquainted with the style of fighting in ONE. He sees both matches as good stepping stones towards a title shot against Ok Rae Yoon:
"Our division has really, really good fighters. What I will do, I will finish and win one-by-one. It’s a great thing to myself, to my family and I want to be a champion at the end."
Izagakhmaev has improved to a record of 20-2 after his fight with Nakashima. It was also his 13th submission victory.
Watch Saygid Izagakhmaev's post-fight interview with South China Morning Post below:
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Saygid Izagakhmaev elated to have joined ONE Championship after debut
Saygid Izagakhmaev was well marketed by his stablemate and legendary fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov. He did his part impressing in his debut win but more than the competition, the Russian rising star is impressed with how ONE handles their fighters:
"I’m so happy that I’m in ONE Championship," said Izagakhmaev. "I’m surprised how they take care of the fighters and you know from the initial start, from the airport, to the hotel. I’m happy to be here. I’m very grateful. I had this debut in ONE Championship and I will never let them down."
