Tang Kai says Akbar Abdullaev took the easy way to a world title shot: "Look at all his opponents"

ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai is seemingly not an easy man to impress.

The all-around wizard — China's first male MMA world champion – is unbeaten in ONE Championship. During this time, he has accumulated some very impressive wins.

His back-to-back victories over Thanh Le speak for themselves but his winning streak in the promotion has produced a very impressive body of work.

The divisional king doesn't believe that the same can be said for his next opponent, Akbar Abdullaev, who will challenge him for the featherweight throne in the main event of ONE Fight Night 27 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Abdullaev has a pro record of 11-0 with all of his wins coming via finish, including a three-fight win streak that he has accumulated since joining ONE Championship.

He made short work of Oh Ho Taek and Aaron Canarte before solidifying his status as the next man in line with a devastating knockout over Halil Amir in May.

Tang Kai admitted in a recent interview with ONE Championship that though these statistics look good on paper, he doesn't think that his next opponent's winning streak holds up when you dive a bit deeper:

"It is a good record, but just look at all his opponents - none of them impressed me."

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Tang Kai and Akbar Abdullaev will bring the best out of each other

Tang Kai might be right about the opposition that he has faced compared to the run of his next opponent.

However, what makes Akbar Abdullaev so impressive is how he's able to beat all of his opponents and that makes him a very interesting challenge for the champion.

Abdullaev is the most dangerous man that the titleholder may have ever faced. But, at the same time, the champion is the best competitor that the challenger has met to date.

On Jan. 10 inside the legendary Mecca of Muay Thai, only one man can leave with the featherweight crown. Will it be Tang Kai or Abdullaev?