Tang Kai Vs. Akbar Abdullaev: 4 Keys To Victory In MMA World Title Showdown At ONE Fight Night 27

The main event of ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video will see two of MMA’s most dangerous finishers go to war, as reigning ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai defends his gold against undefeated Kyrgyz powerhouse Akbar “Bakal” Abdullaev.

That hotly anticipated World Title showdown will take place live in U.S. primetime this Friday, January 10, and it has all the makings of an epic firefight.

This will be Tang’s opportunity to further solidify himself as the planet’s top featherweight mixed martial artist. Abdullaev, meanwhile, hopes to keep his unblemished record safely intact, end the Chinese star’s reign of terror, and etch his name in the history books as a ONE World Champion.

Before these warrior throw down at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, we look at each of their biggest keys to victory.

#1 Abdullaev’s Early Aggression

With his pristine 11-0 professional record and 100 percent finishing rate – including a trio of highlight-reel stoppages in ONE – “Bakal” might be the featherweight MMA division’s most ruthless finisher.

Notably, all but two of Abdullaev’s career stoppages have come in the first round, and of those, he accomplished five in fewer than two minutes.

The challenger would be wise to lean into his natural finishing instincts and chase the early knockout this Friday.

Given that Tang is significantly more experienced in both three-round fights and five-round World Title contests, Abdullaev will want to avoid an extended battle and should come out guns blazing in an effort to end the battle early.

#2 Tang’s Vicious Counter-Striking

Tang is a well-rounded and dynamic striker who can adjust on the fly to whatever his opponent is giving him, but he tends to do his best work with counter-striking.

The 28-year-old’s punishing counter-strikes were on full display in his World Title-winning performance against Thanh Le and again in their rematch, which he won by way of devastating knockout. In particular, Tang’s jaw-crushing counter left hook is likely his most dangerous single weapon.

This approach could pay dividends against the ultra-aggressive Abdullaev. Look for Tang to draw his foe into an exchange – only to fire off counter-strikes with bad intentions.

#3 Abdullaev’s Underrated Takedowns

While “Bakal” is a proven knockout artist of the highest degree, he is also a skilled all-around fighter. To that end, he may want to employ his rarely seen takedown game at ONE Fight Night 27.

Now training at Tiger Muay Thai alongside top grapplers like two-division MMA kingpin Anatoly Malykhin, #4-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil Gasanov, and Dagestani destroyer Shamil Erdogan, Abdullaev is a talented takedown artist in his own right, particularly from the clinch and body-lock positions.

If he’s unable to score an early knockout, the 27-year-old should give Tang a different look by hunting for the occasional takedown, which could subsequently open up more opportunities in the striking department.

#4 Tang’s Purposeful Footwork

Whether he’s trying to apply suffocating forward pressure or work from the back foot, the featherweight MMA king possesses some of the sport’s most fundamentally sound footwork and movement.

If he wants to avoid Abdullaev’s dangerous blitzing attacks, Tang will need to rely heavily on his footwork and ring control. In practice, that means he should either cut off the ring to force “Bakal” on the defensive or employ speedy, elusive movements to make him miss.

As always, fans can expect to see the Chinese athlete hunting for the finish, but it certainly won’t come at the expense of his impeccable footwork.