MMA News: Kiamrian Abbasov Motivated To Hand ONE Two-Division Champion His First-Ever Loss

The main event of ONE: Full Circle will see welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov challenge Reinier de Ridder for his middleweight title.

Ahead of their scheduled five-round championship clash. Abbasov issued a warning towards de Ridder.

“Many people could have beaten me, but whose hand was raised at the end of each fight? Mine! And those guys either got knocked out or lost on points. If [Reinier] de Ridder thinks our fight will be like a pleasant walk in the park, let him think that. It plays to my advantage,” said Abbasov.

The reigning welterweight king has been on a tear since joining ONE Championship back in 2018 as he remains undefeated in four fights, featuring notable performances against Japanese icon Yushin Okami and James Nakashima.

Abbasov’s high-pressure style of fighting--mixed with his punching power--has made him a feared name within the welterweight division, and his title defense against Nakashima proved he can be comfortable fighting in any position.

However, de Ridder is a fighter who is on a whole other plane of existence as he carries an unblemished record of 14-0, five of them being won under the banner of the Singapore-based promotion.

De Ridder also carries the distinction of being a two-weight champion, simultaneously holding the middleweight and light heavyweight titles following two impressive victories over Burmese superstar Aung La N Sang.

While many would be in awe of “The Dutch Knight” and his well-rounded skill set, it only serves as motivation for Abbasov to finish the fight.

“His (Reinier de Ridder) record speaks for itself. He is undefeated, 14-0. But he has been talking a lot about himself recently, that he is the best grappler in the world, or that he can knock me out easily. What a funny guy. His unblemished record is a big motivation for me. I’d like to be the first guy to upset him and spoil this perfect record,” the 28-year-old remarked.

While de Ridder and Abbasov are set for a titanic clash in the main event, ONE light heavyweight kickboxing champion Roman Kryklia looks to defend his title for the second time in a row against Murat Aygun in the co-headliner.

ONE: Full Circle will be streaming live on the ONE Super App and the official ONE Championship YouTube channel at 6:00 PM SGT (5:00 AM ET in the United States) on Friday, February 25.