![\"Asadula](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c1_3276905_800.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAsadula Imangazaliev and Aslamjon Ortikov pose with the vacant ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai belt after making weight and hydration for their title fight at The Inner Circle\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Asadula Imangazaliev\u2019s second shot at the vacant ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai title will come with no asterisk \u2013 and, if the Dagestani knockout artist has his way, it will only be the first belt of three.<\/p>\n
The undefeated 22-year-old made weight and passed hydration on Thursday for his main event against Aslamjon Ortikov at The Inner Circle 20, removing the cloud that hung over his last attempt to claim the division\u2019s vacant crown.<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev knocked out Nong-O Hama in the second round at Lumpinee Stadium in March, but was ineligible to win the title after failing his hydration test before the fight.<\/p>\n
This time, he came in at 134.4lbs and passed the official checks, putting himself back in position to finally become the man to succeed Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who lost the belt on the scale in November 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday I lose weight, 3.5 kilos,\u201d Imangazaliev told Thai media after the official tests, matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n
For a fighter who has built one of the most frightening reputations in ONE, Thursday\u2019s successful weigh-in was almost as important as the face-off that followed.<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev and Ortikov later stood across from each other inside Lumpinee Stadium, with the Uzbek challenger keeping his hands behind his back as Imangazaliev raised his fist and towered over him.<\/p>\n
The tension had already been building before they were called together. Imangazaliev did not appear to take his eyes off Ortikov for several minutes while ONE staff shot promotional material around them.<\/p>\n
There was some history there, too. Last month, Ortikov appeared to refuse a face-off with the Russian, who was sitting ringside, and even declined to say Imangazaliev\u2019s name when calling for a title shot after his TKO win over Jordan Estupinan.<\/p>\n
For all the menace of the face-off, Imangazaliev\u2019s sharpest answer came when he was asked about March\u2019s failed hydration test.<\/p>\n
\u201cI say this before last time, I made weight but I missed hydration because for the whole month I was fasting [during Ramadan],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Asadula](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6135080.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Asadula Imangazaliev and Aslamjon Ortikov face off inside Lumpinee Stadium before their vacant ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai title fight<\/p>\n
\u201cI told people I don\u2019t have a problem but many people messaged me about my weight. Now why people not message me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev will have the chance to answer those critics in the ring on Friday night, when the flyweight Muay Thai title finally looks set to have a new owner after more than a year and a half without a champion.<\/p>\n
The Dagestani has won all eight of his fights under the ONE banner, seven of them by knockout.<\/p>\n
His run has included stoppages of Panpayak Jitmuangnon, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai and Nong-O, with UFC commentator Joe Rogan recently hailing him as one of the most terrifying strikers on the planet.<\/p>\n
Rogan\u2019s praise also raised a wider point about the changing image of fighters from Dagestan.<\/p>\n
For years, the region has been most closely associated with grappling dominance in MMA through the likes of UFC greats Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev, along with teammate such as Abdulla Dayakaev, represents something different \u2013 Dagestani pressure, physicality and composure expressed through elite striking.<\/p>\n
That makes his next ambition particularly intriguing.<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev said he is eyeing a hat-trick of ONE world titles, raising the possibility of a future move into mixed martial arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes I want to take three belts \u2013 kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A kickboxing title run would make immediate sense for one of the cleanest punchers and most destructive finishers in ONE\u2019s lower weight classes.<\/p>\n
MMA would be the more surprising \u2013 and perhaps more ominous \u2013 path, given the historical Dagestani connection to wrestling and grappling.<\/p>\n
It is unclear how seriously Imangazaliev has been developing his ground game, or whether work at Venum Training Camp has included the sort of MMA foundations that would make such a crossover realistic.<\/p>\n
But the idea of a striker with his power, timing and forward pressure adding even a functional grappling layer is not difficult to sell as a frightening prospect.<\/p>\n
![\"Asadula](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6135085.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Asadula Imangazaliev celebrates after knocking out Kongthoranee at ONE Fight Night 39<\/p>\n
First, though, he has to get through Ortikov.<\/p>\n
The Uzbek contender has been more than a supporting character in fight week. He brings 10 ONE wins of his own, five by finish, and told a Thai media scrum he was \u201c100 per cent\u201d confident he would leave Lumpinee with the belt.<\/p>\n
Ortikov has also shown no sign of being intimidated by Imangazaliev\u2019s reputation, even if he will be giving up height and reach against one of the most dangerous finishers in the division.<\/p>\n
Imangazaliev, however, was clear about the physical edge he believes will decide the fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy punch is stronger than his,\u201d he said. \u201cI will use everything. I am ready for everything. I am ready to take the belt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparations, it seems, have not been complicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always have the same game plan,\u201d Imangazaliev said. \u201cI go for the knockout, I go forward. I am pressing always.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show people my level, and to show people I am the champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked when the finish would come, he was less interested in making a prediction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think about which round,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There was also no suggestion that the flyweight cut is becoming harder, or that he will be forced up a division.<\/p>\n
After March, that question became unavoidable. After Thursday, Imangazaliev insisted it should not be.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it\u2019s no problem to make flyweight but I will think about this later,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst I want to take the belt, then after this we will see.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Friday night, ONE\u2019s flyweight Muay Thai division should finally have a champion again.<\/p>\n
If it is Imangazaliev, the next question may not be whether he belongs at flyweight \u2013 but how far beyond one belt his ambitions can realistically go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Asadula Imangazaliev and Aslamjon Ortikov pose with the vacant ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai belt after making weight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":761036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[315437,64,63,786,250841,363400,72245,21218,785,92332,2843,85],"class_list":["post-761035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-aslamjon-ortikov","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-flyweight-title","tag-imangazaliev","tag-kickboxing","tag-lumpinee-stadium","tag-mma","tag-muay-thai","tag-one-championship","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/761036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}