Knockout artist Timofey Nastyukhin (14-6) is always must-see TV.
At ONE on Prime Video 2 this Friday, the Russian will welcome undefeated Turkish star Halil Amir (7-0) to the ONE Championship circle in a battle between two strikers with a knack for finding the finish.
Currently the No. 3-ranked lightweight contender in ONE Championship, Nastyukhin has made a name for himself as one of the organization’s most entertaining fighters. After all, the powerhouse is an ultra-aggressive brawler who constantly throws down from bell to bell.
These are three reasons why you can’t miss Nastyukhin’s next bout.
1. Big power in hands and feet
The lightweight contender holds an impressive 71 percent finishing rate across his 14 career victories, with seven of those wins coming by way of knockout. Importantly, he doesn’t discriminate how he gets it done, whether it’s by his hands, feet, or even a flying knee.
The 32-year-old burst onto the scene in 2014 at “ONE: Warriors Way” with a highlight-reel flying knee that melted future ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang. Since then, he has been an absolute menace in the division.
In fact, in what was one of the biggest wins of his career, the Russian out-boxed former UFC world champion Eddie Alvarez. When they met at “ONE: A New Era” in March 2019, he crumpled the American with a big left hook and a flurry of punches in just over four minutes.
2. Hunts the quick knockout
Nastyukhin fights with a real sense of urgency from the moment the bell rings.
Indeed, each of the brawler’s seven knockouts came in the first round, and all but two of those were in under one minute – an incredible statistic for a lightweight.
At “ONE: Kingdom of Champions” in May 2016, Nastyukhin enjoyed his shortest night of work ever, as he needed just six seconds to knock out Robert Lisita, tying the record for the fastest ever finish in ONE Championship history.
In short, the first round – or even the first few seconds – of any Nastyukhin fight is basically guaranteed to produce fireworks. When he takes on Amir on Friday, look for the Russian to blitz the ONE rookie early and often, utilizing his marauding, power-punching style to secure yet another first-round finish.
3. Keeps a high pace
Unlike many other knockout artists, Nastyukhin has shown an ability to keep up his aggressive, relentless approach into the second and third frames. And while he would obviously prefer a quick knockout, the Russian can, and has, won on the scorecards.
In decision victories over Koji Ando, Amir Khan and Pieter Buist, Nastyukhin came out of the blocks with his trademark blitzing and brawling, clearly looking for a quick finish. But when it didn’t come, the Russian refused to take his foot off the gas.
Instead, the powerhouse picked up the pace as his opponents – struggling to keep up with Nastyukhin’s endless assault – began to fade. Cardio simply doesn’t seem to be an issue for the Russian star.
That experience could come in handy against Amir, who has never seen the judges’ scorecards. If the fight gets to the later rounds, look for Nastyukhin to force a high pace, battling with the same ferocity in the final round as he did in the first.
