ONE Fight Night 22 preview and predictions: Akbar Abdullaev vs. Halil Amir

Someone's perfect mark will receive its first scratch when undefeated monsters Halil Amir and Akbar Abdullaev meet at ONE Fight Night 22.

The two striking sensations will meet in a pivotal featherweight MMA contest this Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Both fighters sport identical 10-0 professional records and are a combined 5-0 in ONE Championship.

Abdullaev and Amir also have four knockout finishes between them, and they want nothing more than to chalk up another explosive finish for their growing highlight reel.

Before ONE Fight Night 22 goes down live and free on Prime Video in the United States and Canada, Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship team gave their unbiased analyses of the fight.

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James de Rozario: Halil Amir by knockout

It could go either way in this battle of knockout artists, but I'm leaning toward Halil Amir for obvious reasons.

The lightweight athlete, who debuts in featherweight, will have power on his side, and he'll fancy slamming through his left-sided attacks when Abdullaev looks to trim things down in the reach department.

Once there, the Turkish striker can depend on faking takedowns to connect with an overhand or he could use his fists to open up a chance at taking the fight to the canvas.

However, with both men's penchant for keeping the action going on the feet, I sense that Amir will try to get things going in a department where they both flourish.

With reach advantage on his side too, 'No Mercy' can wage a war wherever he prefers it to be. And this could open him up to another highlight-reel moment, potentially coming with a straight left down the pipe.

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Mike Murillo: Halil Amir by submission

This is going to be an explosive contest between two fighters who carry significant KO power and can finish the fight in an instant if they find the opening. It's really a toss-up since they match up very well.

But made to choose, I'm going Amir here since he's a bigger fighter (traditionally a lightweight) who is going down in weight and should have that extra power in him.

He, too, has the ability to deliver in the clinch if his vaunted striking does not work against Abdullaev, making him double dangerous.

Given what he brings to the table, Amir should win this inside the distance by submission in the second round.

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Ted Razon: Halil Amir by decision

Something has to give when undefeated finishers Halil Amir and Akbar Abdullaev share the ring. While everybody expects a swift knockout given these two warriors' handiwork in the past, there's a chance they might be too wary of each other and cancel each other out early on.

Abdullaev's best bet is to find Amir's chin early and catch him with a surprise haymaker like he did against his last two foes. However, we have yet to see how 'Bakal' deals with adversity, especially if he can't get the first-round KO.

Amir, on the other hand, appears to be more versatile, which could spell the difference if this match goes the distance. 'No Mercy' also trained with Khabib Nurmagomedov, so I won't be surprised if he tests Abdullaev's ground game.

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Vince Richards: Akbar Abdullaev by knockout

Akbar Abdullaev might have captivated audiences with his explosive power, but he's largely an enigma in the grander scheme of things.

'Bakal' is 2-0 in ONE Championship with a total fight time of one minute and 25 seconds. That mark alone is absurd, but it hides what he's truly capable of. We'll finally see his complete game when he takes on Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 22 in what should be the toughest fight of his career.

Amir will put Abdullaev through the wringer, but I believe the Kyrgyzstani star has the speed and athleticism to escape Amir's grappling.

There's no question that Abdullaev has the striking power to end Amir, and I expect him to use his explosiveness to dart in and out of Amir's range to land that devastating blow in the third round.

That's the thing, though, Abdullaev has to use his natural speed to avoid exchanges. If he can't do that, then it's Amir's match to take.