A heavyweight matchup with potential World Title implications has been added to ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video.

On Friday, July 14, Iranian star Amir Aliakbari is set to take on Canada’s Dustin Joynson in a three-round MMA bout inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Anatoly Malykhin recently defeated Arjan Bhullar to become the division’s undisputed king, and he’ll certainly be open to a new challenger after defeating everyone on his path to the top.

So, Aliakbari and Joynson have a perfect opportunity to move closer to World Title contention with a convincing performance in two weeks time.

Overcoming early losses to rise in ONE Championship

Aliakbari had a rough start to his ONE Championship career. He dropped his first two contests, including a first-round knockout loss to Malykhin in 2021.

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He has since found his form, however. Last August, the Iranian behemoth took out former World Title challenger Mauro Cerilli with a second-round TKO, and he followed that up by sending former longtime heavyweight king Brandon Vera into retirement just over three months later.

“Herb Dean Has Seen Enough” – MMA Fans React as Heavyweight Amir Aliakbari Ends the Bout With Brutal Ground and Pound at ONE on Prime Video 1

The 35-year-old star will aim to continue building his momentum by picking up another win in the division at ONE Fight Night 12. Joynson will certainly not make that an easy task, though.

Dustin Joynson will be seizing the opportunity to challenge for the world title

The hulking Canadian suffered his first professional MMA loss in his ONE debut, falling to Belarusian giant Kirill Grishenko in October 2021. But he returned four months later to edge out Brazil’s Hugo Cunha via split decision and improve his record to 7-1.

If he can stop Aliakbari’s charge, he could comfortably vault himself into the World Title conversation in the ever-growing weight class.

ONE’s heavyweight division has never been hotter. With Malykhin now at the helm, fans can expect a consistent schedule of intriguing battles as stars clamor to stay relevant.

Almeida vs. Kane for the world title contention

Another pairing that could potentially crown the first challenger to “Sladkiy’s” crown goes down at ONE Fight Night 13, with Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida taking on “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane at the August 5 event.

“Reug Rueg” is riding back-to-back wins in ONE Championship and is 5-1 overall in the promotion since his arrival in 2021. Meanwhile, “Buchecha” is undefeated through four fights and is arguably the most qualified contender for a World Championship match at the moment.

However, the Brazilian grappling legend has said that he’s willing to work his way up the ranks patiently and await his chance at gold.

“This Fight Has Everything to Be a Great One” – Marcus Almeida Is Beyond Thrilled to Finally Face Oumar Kane

The battle for a heavyweight World Title shot is certainly shaping up to be an exciting one, and Aliakbari vs. Joynson will kick it off in style on July 14.