ONE Championship: “I'll be getting that belt” - 19-year-old striking prodigy Akif Guluzada says the best is yet to come after beating up Sean Climaco

After three straight wins on ONE Friday Fights in six months, the promising new upstart Akif Guluzada made his primetime debut on May 2 and kept his streak alive with a clean win over Filipino-American rep Sean Climaco.

The 19-year-old striker from Azerbaijan dropped Climaco early, stayed composed through three rounds, and walked away with a unanimous decision win at ONE Fight Night 31 last weekend. It was Guluzada’s fourth straight victory in less than a year since joining ONE, and his first in the global circuit.

Like many others who step onto the world stage of ONE Championship, his eyes are firmly trained on gold. And with a clean four-win streak under his belt, there's a good chance fans will see more of Guluzada on the global stage. And, according to him, he's only getting started: In the ONE Fight Night 31 post-event interview, Guluzada told Nick Atkin:

"And I promise that I'll be back stronger and better and then one day I'll be getting that belt, too."

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Check out the post-event interviews below:

ONE Fight Night 31 results: Sean Climaco vs. Akif Guluzada

Akif Guluzada knew this was his chance, and so wasted no time making an impression in his main card debut. The 19-year-old dropped Sean Climaco in the opening round with a strong punch to the temple and kept the pressure on for the rest of the fight. Climaco showed heart and tried to rally late, but Guluzada just ate up his attacks with no issue.

And while he didn’t get the finish he was gunning for, Guluzada controlled the pace and showed he belongs under the lights. After three rounds, all judges scored it for the Azerbaijani standout.

ONE Fight Night 31 is available via replay on Prime Video with an active subscription in North America.

About the author

Charlene is a MMA writer with 5 years of experience writing content in various formats. She inadvertently fell into the rabbit hole of MMA after she (begrudgingly) joined her friend for a class and ended up enjoying it far beyond her expectations. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and once dreamed of becoming a sports doctor before she found her true calling in writing.

She has ghostwritten for various health, fitness, and martial arts businesses. Despite the busyness of her day-to-day, she occasionally finds the time to practice Boxing and Muay Thai at home with her coach/husband and their many cats as their rapt audience.

She has organized a few local MMA events and aspires to establish her own little gym someday.

Outside of work, Charlene enjoys books, video games, and anime.

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Edited by Subham