Asadula Imangazaliev has been telling anyone who would listen that he was destined for a world title. On Friday, he made it official — and then insisted he had only scratched the surface of what is to come.

The 22-year-old Russian 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, extending his perfect career record to 13-0. In doing so, he became Russia’s first-ever ONE Muay Thai World Champion.

The game plan heading in was simple and singular: stay aggressive, land the cleaner shots, and prove a point. He believes he executed it.

“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.

The announcement of a split decision rather than a unanimous verdict produced a flicker of doubt before the result was confirmed. Looking back at the five-round battle, Imangazaliev broke down precisely where he felt the fight belonged.

“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.

Ortikov came into the contest as one of the flyweight division’s most dangerous challengers, carrying a 24-0 record and a reputation for relentless forward pressure. Imangazaliev found the tactical reality of the fight different to what he had anticipated.

“He’s definitely a high-level opponent, but the fight didn’t play out the way I expected. I expected him to come forward and really show that he wanted to win. Instead, I had to chase him for almost the entire fight,” he said.

The belt is now his, and he already understands what it means beyond the sport. He is Russia’s first ONE Muay Thai World Champion, and a career he already intends to write into history has only just begun.

“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.”

READ MORE: Olivia Bahsous Chose Her ONE Championship Debut Over Prom And Says She Would Do It Again

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