3 Keys to Victory for Kiamrian Abbasov Against Reinier De Ridder at ONE: FULL CIRCLE

Published 02/24/2022, 10:21 AM EST

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Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov has an enormous task awaiting him at ONE: FULL CIRCLE this Friday, 25 February. He moves up a weight class to challenge two-division ONE World Champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” De Ridder.

However, the ONE Welterweight World Champion is confident that he will leave the Singapore Indoor Stadium as the organization’s latest two-division champion.

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It would not be an easy task, but the 28-year-old is ready to stun the dominant Dutchman and be the first man to hand him a defeat. 

Here are three ways he can do so when they go toe-to-toe in the main event of ONE’s fourth spectacle of 2022.

#1 Working from the inside

“Brazen” will find himself in unfamiliar territory when the match gets underway in the Circle. 

Unlike his welterweight outings, “Brazen” will be the much smaller fighter among the two. That should not be a problem for the Kyrgyzstan fighter, though.

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Abbasov unloads high-volume strikes. Combine that with his power, and the Novorosfight representative can rip apart De Ridder’s defense from the inside. 

The Breda native, however, can absorb shots, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

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#2 Constantly tricking “The Dutch Knight” with his movement

If his plan to work from the inside fails, Abbasov must enter the pocket, cause some damage, and exit with caution. One way he can do so is by utilizing his brilliant footwork. 

The Kyrgyzstan athlete has mastered this tool. It has been evident in his stellar displays against Agilan “Alligator” Thani, Yushin “Thunder” Okami, Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam, and James Nakashima. 

Though his grappling and heavy fists troubled those names, his footwork played a role too. 

De Ridder would be hunting for takedowns as soon as the match gets underway. Abbasov must prevent himself from being a static target – because it will make things very easy for the ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion.

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#3 Staying one step ahead in the grappling department 

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Abbasov is well-versed in the grappling department. However, it would not be wise for the welterweight king to try and play this game, as it is “The Dutch Knight’s” field of expertise.

The 31-year-old possesses an aggressive grappling game and is very efficient and intelligent when setting up traps on the canvas. 

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“Brazen” must try to avoid being caught with his back on the canvas or in the center of the Circle. If he can work his guard game or attack from top position, he could very well stand a chance to hurt De Ridder with strikes before plotting for a finish in later rounds.

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Written by:

Arman Khan

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Arman Khan is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He began following combat sports when Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor competed in 'The Money Fight' in 2017. 'The Notorious' attracted Arman to the UFC, and he became an ardent fan of professional fighting as he could draw parallels with the action from his combat sports experience and break down techniques such as striking and striking defense lucidly for the casual fans.
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