If Amir Aliakbari begins to fulfill the promise many saw in him when he first transitioned to mixed martial arts, One Championship stands to be the beneficiary.
As Aliakbari sets his sights on Joynson in his first assignment of 2023, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped chart his course to this point:
Mirko Filipovic
“Cro Cop” blew away Aliakbari with first-round punches to win the Rizin Fighting Federation open weight grand prix in the Rizin 4 headliner on Dec. 31, 2016 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Filipovic drew the curtain 2:02 into Round 1. Aliakbari had beaten Joao Isidoro Almeida, Heath Herring and Valentin Moldavsky to reach the tournament final, but he was no match for the legendary Croatian. Filipovic circled to his left, probed for weaknesses with a range-finding jab and cut off a takedown attempt from his hulking counterpart inside the first minute. Back in open space, Aliakbari soon wandered into danger. Filipovic sat him down with a sweeping left hook and gave chase as the Iranian wrestler hurried back to his feet. Another left hook sent Aliakbari careening into the ropes before he crashed to the canvas, where he was met with a burst of fight-ending blows from one of the best closers in mixed martial arts history.
Daniel Omielanczuk
Aliakbari passed another significant test in his second assignment with the Absolute Championship Berkut organization, as he outpointed the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran to a unanimous decision in a featured ACB 89 attraction on Sept. 8, 2018 at Basket Hall in Krasnodar, Russia. Omielanczuk enjoyed some success in the standup exchanges, especially with low kicks, but his output was lacking and failed to keep his persistent adversary at bay. Aliakbari crowded him in the clinch, bullied him to the mat and slowly chipped away at his resolve. He was utterly dominant in Round 3, where he executed multiple takedowns, shifted from one dominant position to the next, applied his ground-and-pound and generally made life miserable for the fading Omielanczuk—a man who seemed increasingly resigned to his fate.
Ji Won Kang
The unheralded Wangho MMA rep spoiled Aliakbari’s hotly anticipated promotional debut with One Championship when punched him senseless in the ONE “Fists of Fury 2” main event on Feb. 26, 2021 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Kang brought it to a close 1:54 into Round 1. The mobile South Korean seemed content to circle on the perimeter while he tested the waters with teeps, jabs and inside low kicks. However, Aliakbari connected with a pair of clubbing right hooks that drew blood from the nose and resulted in visible damage to his opponent’s left eye. The proverbial writing appeared to be on the wall—until Kang sprang into action with quick-strike violence. He delivered a perfectly timed and exquisitely placed left hook to Aliakbari’s jaw that folded him where he stood and led referee Olivier Coste to call for an immediate stoppage.
Anatoliy Malykhin
“Sladkiy” announced his arrival as a primetime player in the One Championship heavyweight division when he wrecked Aliakbari with punches in the first round of their ONE “Revolution” pairing on Sept. 24, 2021 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Malykhin ended it 2:57 into Round 1. Aliakbari was on his heels from the start, as he tried and failed to play the matador to the Russian’s bull. Malykhin tipped his spear with outside leg kicks and winging power punches, routinely pushing his counterpart towards the fence. He planted Aliakbari on his backside with an overhand right, swarmed for a potential finish, sprawled on an attempted takedown and slammed a series of knees into the head before getting back to business on the feet. Malykhin continued to fire punches upstairs, then delivered a crushing left hook that flattened the Iranian and sounded the figurative death knell.
Brandon Vera
Aliakbari took another step toward re-establishing himself as a true contender when he took care of the former One Championship heavyweight titleholder with elbows and punches in the first round of their ONE 164 encounter on Dec. 3, 2022 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Vera checked out 3:37 into Round 1, suffering his third consecutive defeat. Aliakbari withstood the Lloyd Irvin protégé’s initial advances, which included stiff leg kicks, a few sharp jabs and the occasional punching combination. The flow of the fight turned on a dime. Aliakbari secured a takedown with roughly 90 seconds remaining in the first round, postured in top position and uncorked a volley of elbows, punches and hammerfists that had Vera turning away from contact. The scene left referee Herb Dean no choice but to intervene.