Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan wants to settle the unfinished business with Team Lakay's Danny Kingad inside the Circle next month.
Akhmetov and Kingad are set to lock horns in ONE: Big Bang at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on December 4, the first of ONE Championship’s live events nearing the Yuletide season.
The two top-ranked flyweights were supposed to face in the semifinal round of the ONE World Flyweight Grand Prix last year in August.
But an injury prompted the Kazakh fighter to drop out of the fight with Filipino-Australian Reece McLaren as a replacement for Akhmetov.
The No. 2 Kingad then beat McLaren via split decision before yielding to current No. 1 flyweight and former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson by way of unanimous decision.
"This bout is interesting to me because we were supposed to face each other in the Grand Prix. Now, we have a chance to finish our business," said Akhmatov. "I have only a good impression of him. He is a really good and worthy opponent."
The 33-year-old Kazakh fighter, who holds a 33-2 record, faces a much younger fighter in Kingad, who is just 25 years old.
While Ahkmetov has nothing but praises for the Igorot warrior, describing him as an explosive and well-rounded athlete, the No. 3 flyweight contender hopes to give the fans a show to remember with both their rankings at stake in the high-profile bout.
" and my coach have analyzed him a lot. Everyone has some weak spots, and I will work on exploiting him when we meet,” said Akhmetov.
Both fighters are coming off a winning momentum as Akhemetov rode on a two-match win streak since September 2018 while Kingad defeated Chinese opponent Wei Xie to improve at 14-2 last January in ONE: Fire & Fury at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.