Undefeated Samat Mamedov has signed with ONE Championship and will make his debut in Denver against Canada’s Maurice Abevi. The two will face off at ONE 168 at the Ball Arena on September 6 in a welterweight fight which could have title implications. Champion Christian Lee, who is returning after an extended absence, recently bemoaned the lack of contenders for his belt – and Mamedov will be looking to fill that void and transfer his 10-0 record from competing in Eastern Europe to ONE Championship.
In Abevi, he will face an opponent whose three previous ONE Championship fights have all taken place at lightweight. The Canadian has two wins and a loss with Halil Amir handing him the first defeat of his entire career on his promotional debut last year. Since losing by decision to Amir the Canadian has beaten both Blake Cooper and Zhang Lipeng to get himself back in the title mix.
His record stands at 8-1 and handing Mamedov his first defeat would catapult him directly into title contention. In all, 10 bouts have been confirmed for ONE 168 following the announcement of a flyweight Muay Thai matchup between Johan Estupinan and Sean Climaco. Ecuadorian Estupinan has become notable for his unconventional striking style.
At ONE Friday Fights 68 last year he knocked out Kota Omori in impressive fashion and was rewarded with a US$10,000 (HK$78000) performance bonus and a chance to fight on the more prestigious Saturday morning shows. Las month, at ONE 167, he dominated Zafer Sayik .