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Chinese MMA superstar Tang Kai is scheduled to defend his ONE featherweight MMA world title against the number five-rated divisional contender Akbar Abdullaev in the main event of ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10.
Tang looks to fend off the challenge of the surging challenger in front of the packed Lumpinee Stadium crowd in Bangkok, Thailand. But ahead of their world championship battle, the featherweight MMA king thinks that Abdullaev will have more pressure on his shoulders on fight night.
The 28-year-old knockout machine shared this during a recent interview with ONE Championship, where he explained:
"I think he has more pressure because he has the 11-fight winning streak and hasn't lost. And he is the challenger, so I think he has more pressure."
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This bout marks Tang's second defense of his 26-pound golden belt, which he captured in August 2022 with a masterful unanimous decision victory against former divisional king Thanh Le.
His first successful defense was also against the Vietnamese-American star last March 2024 at ONE 166: Qatar, but this time, Tang made sure to leave no doubts by scoring a third-round TKO win over Le in their world title unification fight.
Tang Kai claims that timing will be the ultimate key to victory for both him and Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 27
The Sunkin International Fight Club-affiliated athlete has acknowledged that his upcoming Kyrgyz opponent will also bring his atomic power to their battle, which is why he pointed out a massive factor that could spell the difference in the match.
Tang stated this in the same interview with the world's largest martial arts organization, as he said:
"I think we both are good strikers and we each have knockout power, but the key is who can find their timing first."
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can watch all the action at ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10, which goes down inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
