“I’m better than any of those two” - Kairat Akhmetov makes his pick for Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson 2

Kairat Akhmetov will have a lot of interest in ONE 161 and he offered his pick on who would win between the headliners, Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

Akhmetov claimed his fifth straight victory last Friday at ONE 158, where he dominated Tatsumitsu Wada to claim a unanimous decision victory.

However, he will not get a world title shot just yet, as that honor was granted to No.1-ranked flyweight Johnson for ONE Championship’s first event to be broadcast in US primetime on August 26.

Speaking to ONE Championship after his match, ‘The Kazakh’ picked Moraes to defend his world title, but would not be opposed to the idea of facing Johnson for the gold.

Kairat Akhmetov said:

“You know, for me, I feel like I would put my favor for Adriano because I think he has a really good skill set. But if you ask me, I would love to fight against Demetrious because I grew up watching his fights. It would be an honor to share the cage with him. But again, I know that I’m better than any of those two, and I’m open to fight against any of them. Let the winner win.”

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Kairat Akhmetov keeps his focus on the world title

Kairat Akhmetov has been slowed down by injuries over the years but has recently been on his healthiest stretch. The 34-year-old is far from done and is eyeing to reclaim the gold he once held.

His five-bout win streak includes victories over current No.4-ranked Danny Kingad and No.5-ranked Reece McLaren. Outside of Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes, only Yuya Wakamatsu remains as a top fighter that Akhmetov could test his skills against.

While Kairat Akhmetov would want to get back in action to stay active, he believes that waiting for a world title shot is his best option for now.

“Honestly, it’s already five [straight] wins now in ONE, and I think I have to make a decision. Of course, I have to do it with my teammates, but I think it’s going to be waiting for my title shot. Again, I would look at the offer I have from ONE in case there will be something in between. But my decision will be final when I want to fight for a title shot,” he said.