Iranian wrestling sensation Amir Aliakbari training with UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov to sharpen skills

Iranian wrestling sensation Amir Aliakbari has had a rough go in his first few fights in ONE Championship.

The Greco-Roman wrestling champion has suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Kang Ji Won and Anatoly Malykhin since making his debut for the Singapore-based promotion just a little over a year ago. It’s a predicament he is looking to turn around quickly.

In a recent Instagram post on his official account, Aliakbari shared a photo of himself with UFC heavyweight standout Alexander ‘Drago’ Volkov.

The 34-year-old wrote in the caption:

“After hard work with my strong brother”

Alexander Volkov is a heavyweight MMA veteran with an outstanding resume. Some of his most impressive victories include wins over Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum, Greg Hardy, and Alistair Overeem. His most recent victory came against Marcin Tybura at UFC 267 last October.

If iron sharpens iron, the two heavyweight behemoths will have no trouble upgrading each others’ skills. With Volkov being a decorated and dangerous striker and Amir Aliakbari being a dominant wrestler, the pair can help clean up each others’ game.

Amir Aliakbari determined to fix holes in his game

Aliakbari was last seen in action back in September. The Iranian suffered a devastating KO loss at the hands of the Russian powerhouse Anatoly Malykhin in the first round.

The 34-year-old was doing fairly well in the beginning, until Malykhin’s power took over. A sledgehammer of a left hook ended matters abruptly.

In his ONE Championship debut, Amir Aliakbari was dominating South Korean destroyer Kang Ji Won, before the latter mounted a furious comeback and turned the tide in his favor.

The ONE Championship heavyweight division has seen a jump in competition over the past couple of years. With big-name additions such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Marcus Almeida and reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar, the competition in the division is cut-throat.

As such, Aliakbari understands he needs to upgrade his overall game in all key areas in order to be able to compete among the best heavyweights in Asia’s largest martial arts organization.