Asadula Imangazaliev becomes Russia’s first ONE Muay Thai World Champion and warns this is only the beginning

Asadula Imangazaliev claimed the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title with a split-decision victory over Aslamjon Ortikov in the main event of The Inner Circle 20 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26, improving his record to 13-0. The 22-year-old Russian became the first fighter from his country to claim a ONE Muay Thai World Title.

Imangazaliev went into the five-round war with a clear blueprint and left believing he had followed it precisely. The split verdict rather than a unanimous decision gave him a brief moment of nerves before it was confirmed.

“My game plan was to keep moving forward and prove that I’m the best fighter in the world right now. I believe I did exactly that, so the plan worked perfectly. At the same time, I don’t think I showed my full arsenal, and I know I have even more to offer,” he said.

Asadula Imangazaliev eyes Muay Thai greatness

Asadula Imangazaliev was certain he had done enough by the final bell. The split decision scorecards rattled him momentarily, but his confidence in the work he had put across all five rounds never truly wavered.

He broke down his round-by-round conviction and addressed the tactical picture he found when he got into the ring with Ortikov.

“I was confident that I had won the fight. But when I heard it was a split decision, I started to get a little nervous. I believed I deserved the victory because throughout the entire fight I was the one pushing the action and landing the cleaner shots. By the end of the fight, I was certain I had won rounds one, two, and five, so I felt confident the decision would go my way,” he said.

For Imangazaliev, the title win is the opening chapter of an ambition that stretches far beyond a first belt defence. He is already mapping out the career he intends to build.

“It means everything to me. I’m incredibly happy that I’ve achieved that goal. But this is only the beginning. I’m still very young, I still have a lot of work to do, and I truly believe I can become the greatest Muay Thai World Champion of all time,” he said.

“I’m the champion now. I’ve never picked my opponents, and now that I’m the World Champion, I’m definitely not going to start choosing them. Whoever ONE puts in front of me, I’ll be ready to defend my belt.”