Ibragim Dauev reveals it was Anatoly Malykhin who helped bring him to ONE Championship: "He advised me"

Ibragim Dauev credits two-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin with launching his ONE Championship career, revealing how the established star opened doors for his promotional debut.

The 24-year-old Russian featherweight will carry his mentor's guidance into battle when he faces undefeated Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 35 inside Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, September 5.

Ahead of his fourth promotional appearance in the world's largest martial arts organization, on, the Chechnya native reflected on how the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight world champion played a big role in his signing.

While speaking with the ONE Championship, Ibragim Dauev said:

"I first reached out to Anatoly, asking for help with my fight. He responded immediately and suggested I contact Anita. He advised me. Together, they helped me get a fight in ONE Championship."

The Fight Club Akhmat and One Chance representative seeks to extend his perfect 3-0 promotional record while drawing inspiration from his mentor's upcoming heavyweight title challenge.

Malykhin faces 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane for the heavyweight championship at ONE 173 inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16.

His opportunity to compete at ONE Fight Night 35 represents the fruition of the guidance and connections that Malykhin provided during his transition to the global stage, and he hopes to carry on his winning momentum before lending the two-division king a helping hand in his quest to regain three-division world championship glory.

North American fans can catch Dauev's return and the entire ONE Fight Night 35 card, live in U.S. primetime, for free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

---

Ibragim Dauev will have a tough test come ONE Fight Night 35

Standing in Ibragim Dauev's way of a fourth back-to-back triumph under the ONE spotlight is none other than Akbar Abdullaev, who brings a perfect 12-0 slate into this featherweight MMA tiff on September 5.

Abdullaev, who fights out of Al Munar Team and Tiger Muay Thai, has wrapped up all his assignments in the promotion inside the distance, including two sub-minute triumphs over Aaron Canarte and Oh Ho Taek.

Could he keep up his hot streak, or could Dauev secure a statement win over the former and claim the biggest scalp on his resume? Let us know below!