Timofey Nastyukhin says he 'must take revenge' against Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

Things did not go well for Timofey Nastyukhin when he last fought Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev. 'Dagi' finished Nastyukhin a little under two minutes into the very first round.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Nastyukhin said he's determined to put things right when the pair go toe-to-toe once again at ONE: 'Winter Warriors' on Friday.

"The victory over him is principle for me, I must take revenge! Now I am more motivated than the last time, because I repeat once again, this is revenge, and I must defeat him!" declared the 32 year old.

Nastyukhin recovered brilliantly from his first encounter with 'Dagi.' In his next fight, he shocked the world when he knocked out former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez in the first round. Given the expectations surrounding 'The Underground King' going into his ONE Championship debut, Nastyukhin's devastating finish became the stuff of legend. While other fighters might revel in taking such a scalp, Nastyukhin says he doesn't like to "look back".

Alvarez has not had a smooth ride since arriving in ONE with his record in the circle reading 1-2 (1 DQ.) The American currently resides outside the top 5 at lightweight, but should he wish to run it back, Nastyukhin is more than happy to give him his own opportunity at revenge.

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Timofey Nastyukhin rues early stoppage vs. Christian Lee

After beating Alvarez, Nastyukhin took out Pieter Buist via unanimous decision - another top contender. However, having earned the title shot, Nastyukhin found himself on the wrong end of a first round knockout against Christian Lee.

'With Christian everything went according to plan, but there was a missed hit, which I wouldnt say have shaken me much, but the referee decided to stop earlier, that's all!' said Nastyukhin.

'Dagi' also faced disappointment against Lee. The Turk was feeling symptoms of meningitus ahead of the pair's lightweight grand prix final in 2019. 'Dagi' went ahead with the fight anyway and lost via unanimous decision as he went the distance for the first time in his career.

Neither Nastyukhin nor Dagi have fought since they faced Lee. Still, just 27 years old, 'Dagi' will be returning to the circle for the first time in two years having taken time to overcome his medical struggles.

The Dagestan-born fighter says he's back to full health now, and it will be fascinating to see if he can rediscover the devastating form that saw him record seven stoppage victories inside the ONE circle. With 'Dagi' finally back, and Nastyukhin determined to get his revenge - the match should be quite a spectacle.