Here are five reasons to watch Izhagakhmaev vs. Ayuki fight in ONE 163.
1. Izhagakhmaev to continue to dominate
Sajid Izhagakhmaev, 28, has looked dominant since making his One Championship debut earlier this year. But Saturday will be his toughest test yet.
The Russian achieved two victories over the American James Nakashima by strangling the arm triangle, and with the unanimous consent of the judges over the Chinese Zhang Lipeng at a time when the latter was considered one of the most prominent fighters in his category in “Wen”.
Izhagakhmaev is looking for an outright win that would improve his record in One to 3-0.
2. The battle for getting close to the summit
Izhagakhmaev and Ayuki will be aiming for victory in their bout on Saturday to prove they deserve a higher level in the lightweight MMA classification.
The Japanese is fifth behind the fourth-placed Russian, who is trying to push himself closer to the top of American-Singapore Christian Lee.
The Russian phenomenon and the Japanese icon are well aware that victory in the next fight will also bring them closer to the threshold of the world title competition in the lightweight category.
3. Challenge the subjugation legend
Despite the age difference between him and Izhagakhmaev, the former world champion of “One” in the lightweight category, Shinya Aoki, confirmed that he is ready to face his Russian opponent.
The 39-year-old veteran fighter expressed his enthusiasm to test his abilities against the rookie fighter, indicating that facing emerging talent in the “One” tournament is motivating and inspiring for him.
Aoki has extensive experience in mixed martial arts for 19 years, and has a good balance of victories, amounting to 47 wins against 10 defeats and one draw.
4. A distinctive and different fighting style
Mixed martial arts fans will be waiting for the battle between Aoki and Izhagakhmaev to enjoy their unique and different styles of fighting.
A judoka and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Ayuki is considered one of the strongest submission specialists in mixed martial arts history. In his fighting style, he relies on surprising his opponent and attacking him from every direction.
As for Izhagakhmaev, he is a very strong wrestler and always likes to attack his opponents from above. Many liken Izhagakhmaev’s fighting style to that of his coach, former martial arts legend Habib Nurmukhamedov.
Predicting the combat strategy that each fighter will adopt seems difficult, but it is certain that the two warriors will use all their deadly weapons against each other to achieve victory.
5. The war of statements portends a heated battle
Before the big battle, a war of provocative statements and threats erupted, especially from the Russian fighter, who stated that he would send his Japanese opponent to retire immediately after the end of the fight.
Izhagakhmayev tried to morally undermine the fighter with great experience and a career spanning more than 20 years.
But these attempts to belittle the matter, Ayuki does not take seriously, stressing that no one can end his illustrious fighting career.