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At ONE 164, Amir Aliakbari picked up the biggest win of his career to date. With a first-round stoppage over former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera, he now finds himself among the top stars in the heavyweight division.
The decorated Iranian wrestler had a tough run initially in ONE Championship, suffering back-to-back defeats in his first two fights. Since then, he’s been able to turn his fortune around and stop Mauro Cerilli this past August and then Brandon Vera this past Saturday.
Though Aliakbari has fully shown the power that he’s capable of, he also believes that his wrestling gives him a huge advantage over any opponent who steps inside the circle with him.
In his post-event press conference, Amir Aliakbari said:
“No one can match my wrestling. I have the best wrestling in this organization and possibly any organization. Ever since my head coach came back, they’ve been pressing my wrestling and my roots. That’s what’s going to happen from here on out.”
The Iranian won gold at the 2010 Wrestling World Championships in Moscow and at the 2009 Asian Wrestling Championships.
Against the likes of Anatoly Malykhin and Arjan Bhullar, who both hold titles in the heavyweight division, Aliakbari’s path to victory through his wrestling could be a massive asset.
ONE 164 results: Amir Aliakbari sends Brandon Vera into retirement with a first-round TKO
In a huge heavyweight clash at ONE 164, former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera met Iranian wrestler Amir Aliakbari.
Coming up against UWW Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Aliakbari, it was a tough test for ‘The Truth’ in his comeback, but a fight that needed to happen in the division to show where both men are at in their careers.
Vera opened the fight by putting pressure on his opponent with calf kicks, trying to slow Aliakbari down and take away his movement. The Iranian remained patient and defensive for most of the first round, but once he saw the opportunity, he got the takedown that he was looking for.
After getting Vera to the ground with nearly two minutes on the clock, Aliakbari began to let his strikes go, forcing Vera to turn to his stomach to avoid the elbow strikes that were raining down on him.
With total control over his opponent on the ground, Amir Aliakbari continued to hit Vera with a barrage of strikes, which forced the referee to step in and wave the fight off.
The fight was officially ended 3:37 into the first round, with Aliakbari taking the dominant TKO win over Vera. Despite a heated exchange at the ONE 164 weigh-ins, both fighters were nothing but respectful to one another following their clash.
