ONE Championship's loss is the UFC's gain – maybe.
ONE contender Akbar Abdullaev is headed to Dana White's Contender Series, as he's slated for a battle vs. Urijah Faber A1 Combat standout Anthony Figueroa at the Sept. 15 event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Kyrgyzstan's Abdullaev (13-0) allegedly split from ONE in the spring. Abdullaev is deemed "the uncrowned champion" by fans, as he defeated champion Tang Kai by fifth-round TKO stoppage but failed the hydration test, making him title-ineligible. Abdullaev has a 100 percent finishing rate through 13 professional fights with 12 knockouts
and one submission.
Figueroa (9-1) is a second-generation fighter. His father, who shares the same name, competed six times for Strikeforce from 2006 to 2008. In nine professional wins, Figueroa has four finishes, including three knockouts and one submission. Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has taken Figueroa under his wing.
The updated DWCS 92 fight card includes:
- Akbar Abdullaev vs. Anthony Figueroa
- Wushamo Hailai vs. Camila Reynoso
- Antonio Monteiro vs. Tyshawn Williams
- Hugo Guillon vs. Luis Hernandez
- Zevan Hunt vs. Mayton Perea
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 'Uncrowned champion' of ONE pivots toward UFC through Dana White's Contender Series
