Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov is gearing up for another tough fight inside the ONE Circle. This Friday, May 5, in Denver, Colorado, the Arlan MMA Pro Team and Tiger Muay Thai athlete goes toe-to-toe with Reece “Lightning” Mclaren at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III.

Entering this bout on a five-fight winning streak has instilled confidence within the Greco-Roman wrestler’s camp. As a matter of fact, the Kazakhstan fighter was hoping to get a shot at Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s crown.

Kairat Akhmetov didn’t want to sit out and hence accepted the Reece McLaren fight

However, with the rubber match between Johnson and Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes taking the spotlight, he didn’t want to sit idle on the sidelines. The former divisional king instead agreed to a rematch with “Lightning” – an opponent he defeated via unanimous decision at ONE: A NEW ERA in March 2019 – so he could stay busy and continue his positive momentum.

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Speaking to ONE, the 35-year-old said, “I was surprised when I was offered him again as I’ve already fought Reece. I don’t want to face the same guys repeatedly. I want to move on and face someone new. But at the end of the day, I need to fight, and I don’t really care who I fight, so I just signed the contract. I could have declined this fight with Reece and just waited for the result of the Moraes vs. Johnson fight. But I can’t just sit still. I’m not afraid of anybody but God. I’m 100 percent ready.”

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Of course, the #2-ranked contender will use this match as a chance to get a shot versus the owner of the divisional strap, whoever it may be after this week’s trilogy showdown.

Kairat Akhmetov wants to be active to gain a deserving title shot

For that reason, he’s being proactive so that his name will be cemented as the next challenger when ONE’s on-ground debut show in North America, ONE Fight Night 10, comes to a conclusion.

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Akhmetov added, “I’ve done a lot of things to get a title fight. But in my division, Moraes now has his third fight with Johnson. I can’t just sit there and wait, so I took that fight with Reece. If it wasn’t for that fight with Johnson, I consider myself the top contender, and I think I should have fought for the title a long time ago. On May 5, I want to show that I am #1 in the rankings and worthy of a World Title fight.”