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Abbasov is just another rival, says Askren

SINGAPORE — Ben Askren’s (picture) unbeaten run is set to face one of its most difficult tests, but the top mixed martial arts fighter insists he will emerge with his reputation and record intact.

SINGAPORE — Ben Askren’s (picture) unbeaten run is set to face one of its most difficult tests, but the top mixed martial arts fighter insists he will emerge with his reputation and record intact.

The American, who is with Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship (FC), will face Azerbaijani Bakhtiyar Abbasov for the welterweight title as the MMA promotion’s main card at ONE FC: Honor and Glory, to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 30.

Askren, a former Olympic wrestler, was originally scheduled to face Nobutatsu Suzuki. But the Japanese dropped out after failing to recover from an injury sustained in his win over American Brock Larson in Kuala Lumpur last month.

It meant the world No 7 welterweight fighter, who has won all 12 of his career fights — three by knock-out — will instead face Abbasov, a world champion in multiple fight disciplines including jiu-jitsu and pankration.

Abbasov (11-2) is on a nine-fight winning streak and is known for winning most of his fights via knockouts and submissions. But the 1.80m tall, 77kg Askren, a former wrestler who won the 84kg class at the 2009 World Championships and is a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American wrestler, insists Abbasov will not stop him.

“I don’t really care who they put in front of me. He (Abbasov) presents a different challenge, but it will be the same end result. He’s not going to be able to stop my takedowns, and with the ONE FC unified rules, I will have more liberty to finish him,” said Askren, 29. “I think I can implement a smart game plan (that is) also cerebral to finish the bout once I sense the opportunity.”

It will be the first time Askren will be fighting under ONE FC’s “pride rules”, which permit kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent, techniques banned under Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator, a California-based MMA promotion where Askren used to fight.

Abbasov, 28, acknowledged Askren’s track record, but said: “I will out-strike Askren and I am taking his undefeated record away.”

Next month’s event will be ONE FC’s eighth fight night in Singapore and ONE FC Chief Executive Officer Victor Cui is expecting another sell-out show. “We signed Abbasov in March and were presented with an amazing opportunity to match up two of the most impressive winning streaks in the division against each other,” he said. “This bout will set the entire MMA world abuzz with excitement.”

“An upset can happen ... A victory over Askren will be the largest in Abbasov’s career and make him a frontrunner for a title opportunity in the future.”

Tickets for ONE FC: Honor and Glory are available at Sports Hub Tix for S$38 to S$348 (excluding ticketing fee). Early bird prices will last till April 27. Visit http://sportshub.com.sg/sportshubtix/events for further details.

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