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Azerbaijani phenom Akif Guluzada was happy to share that his mentor Chingiz Allazov was proud of him following his successful U.S. primetime debut in ONE Championship last week. He said they were able to speak after, and it really felt good.
The 19-year-old rising star spoke about it in an interview with the Bangkok Post following his victory at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video on May 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
'King' cited how it was a special moment for him and the former featherweight kickboxing king who took notice of his talent and guided him early, seeing it as a major point in his burgeoning martials arts career.
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Akif Guluzada said:
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"I called him right after the fight, and he was very happy. It's my first fight with the contract. It's my first morning fight. Usually, I fight in the evenings here. So yes, he watched, and he was overall very happy."
Watch the interview below:
At ONE Fight Night 31, Akif Guluzada was impressive right at the onset. He scored an opening-round knockdown against Filipino-American opponent Sean Climaco with a check right hook to the temple. He built on it the rest of the way on his way to the convincing decision victory.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 31 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Akif Guluzada extends undefeated run in ONE Championship with latest win
The win at ONE Fight Night 31 extended Akif Guluzada's undefeated run in ONE Championship to date. It was his fourth straight victory in just less than a year in the promotion.
The Team Mehdi Zatout affiliate made his ONE debut in the promotion's Friday Fight series in June last year, defeating Haruto Yasumoto of Japan by unanimous decision.
He followed it up with back-to-back knockout victories over Thai opponents. Guluzada scored an opening-round TKO win over Samingdam NF Looksuan in November and KO'd Puengluang Baanramba back in January.
The great start landed him a $100,000 contract and a spot on ONE's main roster, which he continued to prove he was deserving of with his dominant decision victory over Sean Climaco at ONE Fight Night 31.
