Amir Khan reveals he studied Michael Jordan ahead of highly-anticipated return at ONE X

Singaporean MMA star Amir Khan is planning a massive comeback performance when he returns to the Circle.

ONE Championship confirmed, in a report by Straits Times, that the 27-year-old is set to resume his career and re-establish himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion.

He has legendary NBA superstar Michael Jordan to count as one of his inspirations.

Having to deal with the death of his father Tajudeen Ansari in late 2020 and then recovering from a terrible knee injury which has kept him sidelined since, Khan says he turned to Jordan’s obsession with winning to motivate him in his return.

Amir Khan told the Straits Times:

"The moment I found out [the extent of the injury], straightaway I switched my mindset to how I could heal in the fastest possible time. The last one-and-a-half years might be a blessing to me. It allowed me to properly reflect and analyze why I was not achieving the things I wanted. I even studied people like Michael Jordan and how obsessed he was to succeed and I questioned whether I was as obsessed. And obviously the answer was no. I've always trained hard, don't get me wrong, but I realized it is the one percent of things that athletes do or don't do -- that makes the difference."

Jordan is, of course, a 6-time NBA champion and an iconic legend in all parts of the world. In his prime, Jordan was known for his incredible work ethic and will to win, which Khan hopes to bring to the Circle.

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Amir Khan moves to featherweight, takes on Ryogo Takahashi

Khan makes his highly-anticipated return to action against dangerous Japanese foe Ryogo Takahashi. Once one of the premiere lightweights in ONE, Khan has made the decision to move down to the featherweight division.

The two fighters square off at ONE X, ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary event, which broadcasts live in front of a capacity crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, March 26.

Amir Khan broke down his decision to move to featherweight, as well as his advantages over Takahashi:

"At [featherweight], in terms of relative strength, I don't think anyone is stronger than me. I have a huge reach advantage [because of his 1.8m frame] and I bring a lot of experience with me. I also think I will have an edge that I didn't have before because now I have to be more focused and disciplined. I've been preparing for this moment for the last six or seven months. I want to show I'm a different person, a different fighter and I know I will have the performance of my career."

We'll find out if the move pays off on March 26.