5 Things You Might Not Know About Halil Amir

When Halil Amir made his sudden impact in the One Championship lightweight division, he established himself as a clear-and-present danger to all those who call the 170-pound weight class home.

The undefeated 28-year-old Turk will put his perfect 8-0 record on the line when he meets the unbeaten Maurice Abevi in the ONE on Prime Video 9 co-headliner on Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Amir has finished all eight of his opponents, seven of them by knockout or technical knockout. He last appeared at ONE on Prime Video 2, where his dazzling promotional debut resulted in a second-round TKO of the highly regarded Timofey Nastyukhin on Sept. 30.

As the promising Amir approaches his forthcoming battle with Abevi, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. Neither hustle nor bustle fazes him.

Amir was born on Sept. 2, 1994 in Antalya, Turkey—a booming metropolis of some 1.3 million people that rests on the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It ranks as the country’s fifth most-populous city and maintains a reputation as its Capital of Tourism.

2. He knows how to make an entrance.

The Turkish prospect made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 21 when he buried Oguzhan Kilic with punches 2:13 into their confrontation at a Turkey Elite MMA show on April 24, 2016. One of three first-round stoppage victories on Amir’s resume, it remains his fastest finish to date.

3. Culture shock does not figure to be an issue for him moving forward.

Amir has already fought in five countries despite being just eight bouts into his career. In addition to his native Turkey, he has competed in Serbia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

4. He branches out to better himself.

While his base of operations can be found at the Runner Fight Club in Turkey, Amir has spent time training with a number of high-profile fighters in Makhachkala, Russia. They include top Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight prospect Muhammed Mokaev.

5. His bosses put him on the fast track.

Amir did enough in his first ONE assignment—the aforementioned upset of Nastyhukhin—to launch himself into the promotion’s Top 5 rankings at 170 pounds. Only Rae Yoon Ok, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev and Saygid Izagakhmaev are currently positioned ahead of him in pursuit of reigning ONE lightweight champion Christian Lee.