‘Judges Are Not Necessary’ – Akbar Abdullaev Targets Another Quick Finish In World Title Shot Against Tang Kai
Akbar “Bakal” Abdullaev has blazed a destructive path to the top of the featherweight MMA division, and he’ll take his shot at 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold in the main event of ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video.
This Friday in U.S. primetime, the heavy-handed Kyrgyz phenom will challenge Chinese superstar Tang Kai for the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title in a matchup between two of the sport’s most prolific finishers.
Abdullaev came to the world’s largest martial arts organization with an unblemished professional record, a 100 percent finishing rate, and loads of lofty expectations surrounding him.
Since then, he’s backed up the hype in dominant fashion. The 27-year-old has rattled off three straight highlight-reel knockouts in ONE, most recently starching former top-five lightweight MMA contender Halil “No Mercy” Amir.
In short, “Bakal” is a devastating knockout artist. He spoke to onefc.com about his electrifying approach to combat:
“My fight style is total annihilation, quick finishes, and aggression.”
Indeed, Abdullaev’s meteoric rise through the talent-packed featherweight MMA division has been an awesome display of finishing instincts.
For his part, Tang is an equally dangerous finisher, but unlike Abdullaev, he tends to rely more on his crafty footwork and venomous counter-striking to score the knockout.
“Bakal” is well aware of the titleholder’s counter-striking prowess but hopes to exploit what he views as a deficiency in the wrestling department:
“I think Tang Kai is a cool-headed and experienced fighter, but I don’t see anything surprising. I haven’t studied him very scrupulously, but I would say he prefers to strike, wait, and tries to be on the move. I think his strength is waiting and working on counter-attacks.
“His weakness… honestly, perhaps it’s wrestling, and my goal will be to attack him in transition.”
Whether he’s chasing the stoppage on the feet or the canvas, Abdullaev vows to end Tang’s night early.
Just as he has through 11 professional fights and 11 spectacular finishes – including nine in the first round – the challenger plans to stop the featherweight MMA kingpin and leave Bangkok as the newly crowned ONE World Champion.
He added:
“This time I will again try to avoid the judges’ decision and win early. I think judges are not necessary in my fights, and I will try to finish sooner than expected.”
Abdullaev Is Proud To Represent Kyrgyzstan
Akbar Abdullaev views his World Title showdown with Tang Kai as a massive opportunity to prove that his home country of Kyrgyzstan boasts the planet’s best fighters.
Beyond the global fame that would come with winning a ONE World Title, he’s motivated to make his family and nation proud:
“My main motivation is my family, my loved ones, and my people. I fight for them and want to be a valuable member of my society.”
According to “Bakal,” his ultimate goal is to represent Kyrgyzstan at the highest level of MMA – which is exactly what he’ll do at ONE Fight Night 27.
Bringing the golden belt back to his home country, he said, would be a dream come true:
“This is the goal of my life – to represent my motherland and my people to the whole world, so that the whole world knows there are such strong fighters as the Kyrgyz. This is an honor for me.”
