ONE rising star Halil Amir on why children should pursue martial arts: "They can stand up for themselves"

Turkish mixed martial arts sensation 'No Mercy' Halil Amir recently became a first-time father, and he says it's important for kids to take up martial arts, which he plans to introduce to his child when the time is right.

Amir spoke to ONE Championship in a recent interview and stressed the importance of martial arts for the youth and the impact it could have on them.

'No Mercy' said:

"Naturally, this is important. First of all, it provides discipline. Secondly, it is for health. Also, so that they can stand up for themselves. I want to raise my children correctly so that they are worthy people and do not have bad habits."

Amir can inspire the next generation of martial artists when he steps back inside the ONE Championship ring for his next fight.

'No Mercy' is set to make his featherweight MMA debut when he takes on fellow undefeated fighter Akbar Abdullaev of Kyrgyzstan at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Friday, May 3rd, U.S. primetime, with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Halil Amir is looking toward the featherweight elite if he beats Akbar Abdullaev

Turkish MMA sensation 'No Mercy' Halil Amir is the new kid on the block at featherweight, but the 29-year-old upstart believes that a win over dangerous Akbar Abdullaev should be enough to draw out a top-five contender for his next match.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Amir said:

"After my victory, I want to fight for the belt or with someone from the top five rankings."

The featherweight MMA division in ONE Championship is stacked with killers. The reigning divisional king is none other than Tang Kai, and sitting atop the rankings are guys like former titleholder Thanh Le and submission expert Garry 'The Lion Killer' Tonon.