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James Nakashima wants another crack at Shinya Aoki. The American suffered a loss via first-round submission when he took on the Japanese star at ONE: Unbreakable a year ago.
That was only the second defeat of the former LFA champion's career following a loss to Kiamrian Abbasov just two months prior. Nakashima will face another tough test when he takes on Saygid Izagakhmaev.
The UAE Warriors veteran is a protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov and will be making his ONE debut. The Russian is riding a streak of two straight finishes. However, if Nakashima gets the job done here, then he could well be back in the rankings and will be eyeing a do-over with the No.3-ranked Aoki.
In a recent interview with AsianMMA.com, the former welterweight title contender said:
"I'm not gonna lie. I respect Aoki a lot - he's a great MMA fighter [but] I want that fight back. I really believe that I'm one of the best grapplers in the world [and] one of the best MMA fighters in the world."
Saygid Izagakhmaev hails Khabib Nurmagomedov influence ahead of James Nakashima clash
The Arizona-native will have his brother in his corner in Singapore, while Izagakhmaev will have Nurmagomedov in his corner as the Dagestani icon looks to preserve his 100% record as a coach.
"Having Khabib [Nurmagomedov] in my corner is really significant. He’s my brother, we’ve been training for almost 15 years. He always gives me the correct hints. And I’m sure, with James, he will give me [those hints]," said Izagakhmaev.
Izagakhmaev also brought up the strength of Russian wrestling.
"I think [Russian Grappling is superior to American wrestling]. Dagestan wrestling has been proven to be one of the best in the world. We’re among the leaders if you look at the Olympics as well. Dagestanis are at the top, number one. There are exceptions but I believe Dagestan wrestling is pretty strong," he added.
'Nako' certainly has his work cut out for him, but he already has a win over an Eagles MMA fighter having beaten Raimond Magomedaliev via unanimous decision in his ONE debut in 2018.
'Nako' appeared to be getting the better of the grappling exchanges during his fight with Abbasov. He also broke the champion's nose before being TKO'd with a knee in the fourth round.
Having strung together a run of 11 straight victories before coming unstuck against the Russian, Nakashima is now looking to overcome the first extended spell of adversity in his career. Having taken a year out to improve, he now has a chance to reinsert himself into the top of what is one of the most stacked divisions in the promotion.
