A colossal mixed martial arts act has been added to the ONE Fight Night 12 lineup, and the winner could become the first challenger to undisputed ONE World Heavyweight Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
On Saturday, July 15, Iranian giant Amir Aliakbari will take on Canadian star Dustin Joynson in a crucial three-round battle at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
After a rocky start with the biggest martial arts organization in the world, Aliakbari has turned things around and changed his career in a big way.
The former world Grego-Roman wrestling champion knocked out former ONE world title challenger Mauro Cerilli in August 2022 and beat former heavyweight king Brandon Vera via first-round TKO in December – in what would be the last fight of Vera’s incredible career.
Now boasting a 12-3 record and a 75% finish rate, the 35-year-old Iranian fighter is looking to pick up another big win before battling for the belt to become the first MMA world champion in the world. Middle East.
However, Joynson also wanted to spoil his rival’s grand plans.
Like Aliakbari, the Canadian didn’t have the best of starts in the ONE Championship, where he suffered his only loss at the hands of former ONE World title challenger Kirill Grishenko in October 2021.
However, Joynson returned four months later to take a narrow lead over then-unbeaten Brazilian giants Hugo Cunha by split decision (shared decisions) and brings his record to 7-1 (1 NC).
If the 37-year-old B.C. native can stun Aliakbari on July 15 in front of a prime-time American crowd, it will be the biggest win of his MMA career and could well put him in the talks ahead of a world title fight. .
And, with Malykhin currently residing in Phuket, Thailand, perhaps he will drop by Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Bangkok to watch this heavyweight MMA matchup live.
Stay tuned onefc.com/id for the latest news and updates regarding ONE Fight Night 12.
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