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Don’t think he is better than me at anything.- Saygid Izagakhmaev shares input on James Nakashima

The debuting Russian star will have a chance to prove his point when he takes on James Nakashima at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS on Friday, 14 January.

Saygid Izagakhmaev

Bengaluru, January 6: Saygid Izagakhmaev thoroughly believes that his skillset will make him the man to beat in the ONE Lightweight division.

The debuting Russian star will have a chance to prove his point when he takes on James Nakashima at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS on Friday (January 14).

"I don't see any danger from him, and I don't think he is better than me at anything," the 27-year-old offered.

"I've already watched all of the top 10 fighters in the division. I think the toughest of them all is James Nakashima, and I will try to approach this fight in my peak form."

Izagakhmaev might not be entirely accurate by saying that Nakashima is the toughest of the lot. The lightweight division is in fact packed with world-class martial artists from various backgrounds, especially in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and judo.

Most of the stars sitting in the ranked charts of the weight class are grappling wizards like himself. Among them are Christian "The Warrior'' Lee, Dagi Arslanaliev, and Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki.

However, he is confident of wiping out the entire division, not only with his wrestling - but his all-around arsenal. After all, the name of the sport is mixed martial arts, and the Dagestani native believes it is all about mixing things up when the opportunity arises.

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"Since my opponent is a wrestling lover too, I think I will have to use my striking skills as well. I can use my elbows, legs, and boxing as needed. Even if I can't take him down, I won't fixate on something. I will beat him standing up," Izagakhmaev said.

"I want to tell my future opponents: be ready. Be ready for wrestling, for stand-up, [it makes] no difference."

Despite his confidence, the Russian athlete refuses to make a bold prediction on how he would finish the former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Instead, he chooses to remain humble ahead of his first battle in The Home of Martial Arts.

"I can't say anything about any specific way of [finishing] James Nakashima, but I plan to finish him either standing or on the ground," he warned.

"We'll see. But where I'm from, if you say something, you have to prove your words at any cost."

Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action from ONE: HEAVY HITTERS. Fans in India can watch the show live on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2, beginning with the lead card at 3:30 PM India Standard Time (IST) on Friday (January 14).

Source: Media Release

Story first published: Thursday, January 6, 2022, 11:02 [IST]
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