"I'm going to get the world title shot" - Akbar Abdullaev believes victory over Halil Amir will propel him to ONE gold

Akbar Abdullaev is confident that a win at ONE Fight Night 22 will be what he needs to put himself into title contention in the featherweight MMA division.

Part of that is due to his already impressive winning streak and the other factor is the matchup that awaits him on May 3.

Halil Amir may be making his featherweight debut in this fight but he has already proven himself as a serious contender in the lightweight division.

Both men are undefeated with a run of great performances under the ONE Championship banner, so when they come face to face for the first time, the stakes are high.

Abduallev spoke in a fight week interview with Nick Atkin for Sportskeeda MMA about how highly he regards his next opponent and why that adds extra incentive for this fight:

"Yeah yeah, 100 percent, he's a really serious fighter, and that's what you can expect from him. And like, if everything goes well I believe I'm going to get the world title shot."

Watch the full interview below:

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Akbar Abdullaev is a problem for anyone in this division

We are yet to really see the full potential that Akbar Abdullaev possesses in this division, but that's a compliment to his incredible finishing ability.

The undefeated rising contender has racked up two wins under the ONE Championship banner, both coming via finish inside the opening minute of the bout.

You can expect a competitor like Amir to be very cautious of that, potentially looking at trying to weather an early storm to really test his opponent past the opening stages.

However, that is a task that is far easier said than done as Abdullaev's opponent can attest to.

A third win could be enough for him to earn the next shot at the champion Tang Kai in what could be an explosive battle in the near future.

ONE Fight Night 22 will air live and free in US primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.