"I'll be faster and stronger" - KO artist Halil Amir expects a deadlier version of himself after moving down to featherweight

Turkish MMA sensation 'No Mercy' Halil Amir has gone south from lightweight to featherweight, and the 29-year-old says he's stronger than ever in his new division.

Amir joined ONE Championship in October 2022 and immediately made a splash, defeating dangerous Russian Timofey Nastyukhin via second-round knockout.

He then returned the following year to score a thorough unanimous decision over highly regarded Swedish fighter Maurice Abevi before making quick work of Pakistan's Ahmed Mujtaba with a first-round technical knockout win in late 2023.

Now, Amir is ready to make his featherweight MMA debut in the world's largest martial arts organization and promises fans they will see something special.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Amir talked about his move to featherweight, and why he did it.

The 29-year-old fighter said:

"I'm not a big lightweight. And I Think in this weight class, I'll be faster and stronger."

Amir has a chance to prove just how much damage he can do at featherweight when he steps back into the ONE Championship ring this weekend to face another big test.

Whether or not he can maintain his speed and power remains to be seen. But, the Turkish star is confident he can get the job done against another worthy opponent.

Halil Amir to face knockout artist Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 22 this weekend

It's going to be fireworks when Turkey's Halil Amir locks horns with Kyrgysztan's Akbar Abdullaev. Both men are undefeated as professionals and are on the come up. Whoever wins could make a strong case for a top-five berth in the featherweight MMA rankings.

Amir and Abdullaev go head-to-head 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.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.