Unbeaten Akbar Abdullaev will be tasked with trying to upend China’s first-ever male MMA champion, Tang Kai, at ONE Fight Night 27 on Friday, Jan. 10.
While the perfect record is remarkable for many, Tang is not one of them.
“It is a good record, but just look at all his opponents – none of them impressed me. I think [his perfect record] is only because he is very brave and he always pushes forward,” Tang confessed to ONE.
Abdullaev’s run in ONE has featured three knockouts. The first two TKOs happened in under a minute before his May 2024 KO over Halil Amir in a battle of undefeateds.
Despite the knockout showings, Tang is putting his faith in his own striking for his defense of the ONE Featherweight MMA Championship.
“His strength is the way he pushes forward. Compared with me, I think my strength is my sticking and moving. I think we both are good strikers and we each have knockout power, but the key is who can find their timing first,” the Chinese athlete stated.
While the 28-year-old hopes to add to his own knockout rate, the Sunkin International Fight Club representative is preparing for five grueling rounds.
As the division’s king, he knows he must be prepared to go the distance against every opponent.
“I want to finish this fight by KO, but I’m also prepared for a five-round contest,” Tang said.
Wearing the crown may be heavy for some, but that is not the motivating factor for the Chinese superstar.
Tang pushes himself every day to improve and uses his own evolution as motivation to be at his best.
“Of course, I have pressure in each fight, but the pressure is also my motivation. I have known my opponents will be stronger and stronger since the day I got the belt, and I am improving myself every day, too. It is what a champion should do,” Tang commented.
On Jan. 10, Tang will attempt to defend his crown and get 2025 started with a bang. While he is the champion, he believes the pressure will reside firmly on his opponent’s shoulders, who will be trying to keep their perfect record intact.
“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,” Tang said.
ONE Fight Night 27 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Friday, Jan. 10.