ONE Championship releases Amir Aliakbari 

ONE Championship cut heavyweight MMA fighter Amir Aliakbari from its roster over the weekend.   

The Iranian last competed under the ONE Championship banner in November 2024 at ONE 169 in Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.  

The AAA Team product suffered a first-round submission loss to 14-time BJJ World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, ending his prolific four-fight winning streak in the division.  

After losing his first two outings to Kang Ji Won and two-weight great Anatoly Malykhin, respectively, Aliakbari looked to change his fortune. 

The 37-year-old then rattled off an impressive four-fight winning streak. That started with a second-round TKO versus Mauro Cerilli at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.

He then participated in a heated rivalry with former ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion Brandon Vera later that year, stopping “The Truth” inside one round. 

Following that, Aliakbari submitted Dustin Joynson in July 2023 before defeating another former heavyweight king in Arjan Bhullar during ONE’s first trip to Qatar in March 2024. 

But afterward, his momentum met a sour end as Almeida dismantled him inside one round in late 2024.

Amir Aliakbari’s hopes of Anatoly Malykhin rematch quashed

Heavyweight MMA juggernaut Amir Aliakbari was dying to get his hands on two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin. But after his release, his hopes of ever meeting the Russian powerhouse again were put to bed. 

The pair met in Aliakbari’s sophomore appearance at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021. 

Aliakbari met Malykhin at a pivotal point during “Sladkiy’s” rise, as the future World Champion knocked the Iranian giant out inside one round.  

Since then, Aliakbari has been working vigorously to avenge that loss. He came close to achieving it, too. However, a World Title opportunity was given to newly minted heavyweight king “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane instead. 

Kane went on to defeat Malykhin for the heavyweight crown and remains the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion to this day.