ONE Fight Night 27 fight results: Tang Kai vs Akbar Abdullaev

In the first main event of the new year, reigning ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kail returned to the Circle for a highly anticipated clash with undefeated sensation Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video.

Originally, their bout was scheduled to be for Tang's 26 pounds of gold. However, after Abdullaev failed to meet the weight and hydration requirements, he would be no longer eligible to take home the belt, win or lose.

Still, Abdullaev had plenty to fight for, including an undefeated record that has seen him finish all 11 of his opponents up to this point.

Round 1: Tang immediately fires off a shot to the body, and Abdullaev gives him one right back. Tang lands a stinging calf kick as Abdullaev continues to try and jab his way inside. Tang goes back to the leg attack but eats a stiff counter jab. Both fighters are showing a lot of respect for each other’s power, but Abdullaev lands a sneaky shot on Tang that has the champ’s nose bleeding.

Abdullaev’s confidence is growing and he clinches up with Tang in the corner. Tang appears content to keep Abdullaev in the corner for the remainder of the opening round.

Round 2: Abdullaev comes out and immediately starts peppering Tang with leg kicks before shooting in for the first takedown of the fight. Abdullaev manages to muscle Tang down, marking the first time the Chinese superstar has ever been taken down under the ONE Championship banner. Abdullaev largely controlled the action on the mat, but Tang scrambled back to his feet and forced Abdullaev into a 50/50 position in the corner.

Tang dropped down for a takedown of his own, but Abdullaev used a whizzer kick to get back into control and force Tang back down to the mat. Abdullaev settled into side control, but Tang once again fought his way back up. Abdullaev now appears to be bleeding from his nose as Tang tries to control his opponent in the corner of the ring.

Abdullaev uses the whizzer kick to land yet another takedown on Tang, but there’s not enough time on the clock to utilize the position.

Round 3: After spending much of the first two rounds in grappling positions, both fighters are starting to let their fists fly. However, Abdullaev quickly halts that with a strong takedown near the ropes. Tang sweeps his way back up but eats a couple of knees to the head for his trouble. Tang scrambles away, but Abdullaev remains in hot pursuit, taking Tang down to the mat once again and landing a few more nasty knees on the mat.

As referee Herb Dean has the fighters repositioned in the center of the ring, Tang’s movement appears to be very labored. Abdullaev picks up on it and decides to add insult to injury by putting his hand over Tang’s mouth and even plugging his nose to alter the champ’s breathing. With 30 seconds left, Tang takes deep breaths, but Abdullaev isn’t doing enough on the mat, prompting Dean to stand them up. Abdullaev lands a nice look-away right hand against the ropes as the final seconds tick off the round.

Round 4: Abdullaev stood in the center of the ring and traded strikes with Tang for roughly 15 seconds before changing levels and taking Tang down to the mat with ease. Abdullaev spent the next 4:45 of the round landing ground-and-pound strikes, further distancing himself from the reigning featherweight MMA champion on the scorecards.

Round 5: It was more of the same in the fifth and final round, with Abdullaev quickly putting Tang on his back and delivering a slew of vicious elbows and short shots from the top. With Tang unable to do anything other than cover up, Herb Dean had finally seen enough and mercifully called for the stoppage.

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ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video - Tang Kai vs. Akbar Abdullaev Official Result

Akbar Abdullaev’s dominant victory moved him to 12-0 in his mixed martial arts career and retained his 100% finish rate. Unfortunately, Abdullaev’s weight and hydration miss means he’s neither eligible to take on Tang’s ONE featherweight MMA world championship nor a $50,000 bonus from ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

For now, Tang Kai remains the ONE featherweight MMA king, but there’s no doubt that Abdullaev’s stock has risen significantly with his lights-out performance against China’s beloved MMA champion.

Official Result: Akbar Abdullaev defeated Tang Kai via TKO (ground-and-pound) at 1:21 of round five (MMA - 156.75lbs catchweight)