Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu Puts ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title On The Line Against Elbek Alyshov At The Inner Circle 24
Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu arrived at ONE Championship through a Netflix reality show and a submission finish that ended one of the most dominant reigns in the promotion’s recent history. Now the Mongolian is ready to prove his title is built to last.
“The Tormentor” defends the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title against undefeated Azerbaijani challenger Elbek Alyshov in the headline bout of The Inner Circle 24, streaming live for members from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 31. Both fighters carry finishing instincts into this World Title showdown, and the action promises to be decided well before the judges’ cards are needed.
Baatarkhuu claimed the belt at ONE Fight Night 38 last December, where he submitted former champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade in a performance that silenced a large portion of the combat sports world. The win capped a run through the division’s ranked contenders that included victories over Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang, Aaron Canarte, and Jeremy “The Jaguar” Pacatiw in rapid succession.
His rise through the ranks also coincided with a high-profile appearance on Netflix’s hit reality competition series Physical: Asia, where Baatarkhuu competed alongside Team Mongolia and reached the finale. The combination of a world title and a global streaming audience turned him into one of the most recognisable faces in combat sports almost overnight.
The title defence carries a larger ambition behind it. Baatarkhuu has openly named ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai as his ultimate target, with the aim of becoming a historic two-division champion. A successful first defence on July 31 keeps that dream squarely in play.
Standing across from him is a challenger who offers no soft introduction to championship pressure. Alyshov has not lost as a professional and has finished nearly every opponent he has faced. In his two ONE Championship outings, he submitted Pacatiw via arm-triangle choke at ONE Fight Night 34 last August, then followed that with a second-round submission over Bumina-ang at ONE Fight Night 37 three months later.
Both men Alyshov has finished in ONE Championship are fighters Baatarkhuu himself defeated on his way to the title. When the two meet on July 31, something will have to give.
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