Aslamjon Ortikov spent five rounds believing he was winning a world title. When the judges told him otherwise, he accepted it with the same quiet conviction that built his unbeaten record in the first place.

Ortikov suffered the first defeat of his professional career when Asadula “The Dagestan Ninja” Imangazaliev claimed the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title by split decision at The Inner Circle 20 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26. Two of three judges sided with Imangazaliev at the end of a five-round war. Ortikov’s record falls to 24-1.

The Uzbek emerged from the ring physically unmarked and fully convinced he had done enough to take the gold back to Samarkand.

“As you saw, guys, I did my best. It even looked like I won. You can see it from my face,” he said.

“But the decision wasn’t in my hands or yours. So, I have to accept it. What can I do? I did my best and showed everyone a great fight.”

Ortikov pointed to the visible evidence of his argument. His own face remained clean throughout five rounds against one of the sport’s most dangerous and unorthodox strikers, while Imangazaliev bled from his nose after a third-round punch. He believed the cleaner work and the lack of damage on his own face should have been enough.

“You could see how many kicks I landed on him, how many push kicks I landed to his face, and the spinning backfists. And look at my face. There wasn’t a mark on it,” he said.

The narrow verdict did not leave him doubting what he showed inside the ring. He had stood in front of a man many consider the most dangerous striker alive and fought for fifteen minutes without once questioning whether he belonged there.

“Of course, I believed in myself that I won,” he said.

“I don’t know what other people thought or who they believed won, but for me, I was inside the ring and fighting there. During the fight, I thought I won, but that’s how it is.”

The first loss of his career has not altered what he knows about himself as a fighter. He left Bangkok healthy, he left it with his self-belief intact, and he left it with one immediate priority settled in his mind.

“It didn’t affect me at all. I know what I did, and I know how I fought. I didn’t give up at all. I think it was a very good fight, and I fought until the end. Most importantly, nothing happened to me. My body wasn’t injured. So this loss doesn’t affect me at all,” he said.

A return is already in his thoughts. He has not named a target or a timeline, only a guarantee delivered with characteristic directness.

“You already saw the best version of me, and next time, you will definitely see it again,” he said.

“Anytime, anywhere.”

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