“I definitely could out-grapple that guy” – Ben Tynan says Amir Aliakbari stands no chance against him

Heavyweight MMA fighter Ben Tynan looks to take on all the top names in the division in ONE Championship, including streaking Iranian Amir Aliakbari, who he said he will have his way against in a possible showdown.

'Vanilla Thunder' shared this in a recent interview with ONE ahead of his scheduled return to action on April 5 at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas in Bangkok, Thailand.

30-year-old Tynan underscored that while Aliakbari has an impressive wrestling background, he believes he has the skillset to foil it, saying:

"Yeah, because he's an Olympian wrestler, right? So that would be awesome, but I definitely could out-grapple that guy because I don't know , I take a lot of pride in my grappling."

He added:

"And one problem with a lot of freestyle wrestlers is the whole emphasis and focus is purely just like on takedowns, really, and then they stand the guys back up. But my biggest strength, even in my college wrestling days with the mat wrestling, once we got to the ground, I could hold anyone down and no one could keep me down."

Aliakbari set himself up for a possible shot at the world title currently held by Russian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin after he raced to his fourth straight victory last month.

Meanwhile, before he channels his focus on Aliakbari, Ben Tynan collides with Australian heavyweight Duke Didier at ONE Fight Night 21.

There, he will try to sustain the momentum he built in his third-round submission (arm-triangle choke) win over South Korean KO artist Kang Ji Won in his promotional debut in November.

ONE Fight Night 21 will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live in U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Ben Tynan out to showcase his striking at ONE Fight Night 21

Apart from his vaunted wrestling game, Ben Tynan said he is also going to showcase his striking in his scheduled heavyweight clash against Australian Duke Didier this week.

The two are featured at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on April 5 in Bangkok, Thailand. Theirs is one of three MMA contests on offer in the event happening at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, 'Vanilla Thunder' shared how he intends to get his second staright victory in the promotion, including how he is out to spring up surprises with his striking.

Ben Tynan said:

"I'm focused on my wrestling that people think I can only wrestle, but what people don't realize is I train with some of the best out here in Denver, and I can strike, too. So I want to take his head off."

Looking to counter Tynan's assault at ONE Fight Night 21 is Didier, who is making his second appearance in the promotion after losing in his debut in June 2022. 'The Duke of Canberra' narrowly lost in his maiden ONE outing to Uzbekistan's Jasu Mirzamukhamedov by split decision.