Unbeaten MMA star Halil Amir may have racked up a perfect 3-0 record in ONE Championship’s lightweight division, but he has now decided to jump ship to featherweight, as he feels he will realise his truest potential there.
“No Mercy” is set to embark on his new journey against a fellow undefeated battler in Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova this Saturday, 4th May, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Many may question Amir’s decision to leave the division where he’s found plenty of success. After all, he defeated Timofey Nastyukhin, Maurice Abevi, and Ahmed Mujtaba without much trouble. But the talented Turk believes it’s a tactical move that will serve to disrupt the competition.
“I’m not a big lightweight. And I think in this weight class, I’ll be faster and stronger,” Amir said.
Amir wants to make a point in his first foray at featherweight. And to do so, he has enlisted the help of MMA great and former UFC Lightweight World Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The undefeated Dagestani has beaten the best in the world, and “No Mercy” feels he’s taken many tools from their time together that he can utilize to stop the momentum of Abdullaev.
“Khabib did several training sessions. For me, it was a very good experience. He has hard training at his school. “Khabib always has strict discipline during training. Naturally, the work was focused on wrestling and grappling,” Amir detailed.
“As a person, he is a very simple person. He is often immersed in training and helps his team and, of course, he was also pushing me during the training sessions.”
Given the expertise of Abdullaev, Amir’s decision to learn from Khabib is certainly a logical choice. The Krygz featherweight is 10-0, with all 10 wins coming by stoppage.
The 29-year-old brawler is well aware of what his upcoming foe brings to the table. So much so that he believes a win at ONE Fight Night 22 might put him in line to challenge ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai.
“My opponent, Akbar, is a good fighter. He has explosive kicks, and he’s a classic kickboxer. His strong point is obvious – his striking technique,” Amir said.
“My goal is to finish him. If I cannot succeed, I’ll do everything in my power to make the referee raise my hand. After my victory, I want to fight for the belt or with someone from the top five rankings.”
