It’s time for the heavy hitters to take centerstage when ONE Championship rolls out the second installment of its Fists of Fury event series.
Iranian heavyweight sensation Amir Aliakbari makes his highly anticipated debut when he battles the undefeated “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won at the previously recorded ONE: Fists of Fury II, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium but airs this Friday, March 5.
Aliakbari is the latest top-notch heavyweight to sign with the organization — and for good reason.
A Greco-Wrestling World Champion, the Iranian transitioned well to mixed martial arts. He heads into his ONE debut with a 10-1 record and a 70 percent finishing rate.
While he remains entirely focused on this match, that doesn’t mean he isn’t keeping an eye on the bigger picture — to dethrone longtime ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera.
“I have come to the division, to ONE Championship, to be the champion. It is my belt. I’m ready to fight Brandon Vera tomorrow,” Aliakbari told ONEFC.com.
“I believe Brandon Vera is not ready to fight me, so I’ve asked ONE Championship to line up fights for me. I want the title — I want the championship belt.”
However, he shouldn’t take Kang lightly. The Korean showed great resilience in his ONE debut after scoring a first-round TKO over Mehdi Barghi last February.
“Mighty Warrior” lived up to his nickname. He survived being mounted, then turned the tide on Barghi, finishing him with ground and pound at the end of the first round.
But they are not the only heavyweights who will look to impress for a shot at Vera in the future.
It will be a battle of grapplers in the co-main event, as Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado tries to remain unbeaten in the heavyweight division when he takes on another debutant in undefeated Russian Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin.
Watch the previously recorded ONE: Fists of Fury II on One Sports and One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. It will also air on the ONE Super App at the same time.
Also, TV5 will air the show on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, March 6.
Read More From ONE Championship:
Ennahachi Beats Superlek To Retain Belt; Calls Out Rodtang, DJ
Petrosyan Submits Another Flawless Performance To Defeat Kiria
