‘I Will Give Everything’ – Maurice Abevi Aims To Deliver Career-Best Performance At ONE 168: Denver
Maurice Abevi is hoping to piece together all of his skills and produce a life-changing performance at ONE 168: Denver.
The 24-year-old Swiss star has already offered up some stunning displays in the world’s largest martial arts organization, but he’s eager to showcase his full potential in front of a U.S. audience on Friday, September 6.
Following two straight victories in ONE, Abevi will take on unbeaten Kazakh phenom Samat Mamedov in a lightweight MMA showdown, and he plans on leaving his name etched into the memories of the fans at Ball Arena.
He told onefc.com:
“I feel like I got really sharp before the last fight, but in the fight itself, I feel like I couldn’t really show everything I had, so that’s why I’m really motivated to bring this next performance to the Circle.
“It’s exciting, and I feel that by fighting in the U.S. now, it’s a sign that I am appreciated by ONE. I appreciate that from them as well.
“They want me to deliver, and I want to deliver. I will give everything to deliver on that date.”
In his debut, Abevi fell short in an exciting three-round war against Halil Amir. Since then, he’s earned back-to-back wins over Blake Cooper and Zhang Lipeng.
However, the 24-year-old believes he is still just scratching the surface of his capabilities, and with a solid training camp in the books, he’s ready to unleash even more against his debuting opponent:
“I feel like this fight is going to be me showing all my skills. In ONE so far, I could show some of what I’m capable of, but I was never able to put my whole arsenal on display.
“I feel like in this fight, I can really throw my whole arsenal and show some new stuff, show some more spinning kicks.”
Abevi Plans to Outlast And KO Mamedov At ONE 168
Maurice Abevi knows he won’t have an easy night against Samat Mamedov at ONE 168: Denver.
The Kazakh is making his first ONE appearance with an unblemished 10-0 MMA slate. Nine of those wins have come inside the distance – all in the first round.
Clearly, Mamedov is an aggressive fighter who looks to put away foes. With that in mind, Abevi is ready for a ferocious battle when the first bell rings in Denver:
“Mamedov is a good wrestler and an aggressive guy. I think he’s a good opponent.
“I think he’s super dangerous. He’s finished nearly all of his fights. His opponents were not really top-notch, but he finished them all in the first round, and that must mean something.
“I really respect him a lot as a fighter. I think he is going to give me a good challenge.”
Rather than being fazed by the threat ahead, Abevi sees Mamedov’s penchant for charging out of the blocks as a good matchup stylistically.
Ready to play the matador to the bull, the Zurich native believes his own style is tailor-made to deal with his rival’s offense. He plans to ride out the initial wave and bring the Kazakh into deeper waters – where the opportunity for a knockout could come.
Abevi added:
“It’s good for me that he comes out fast because I like to move a lot. I like to stay at distance. I think I can make him swing and hit air a lot and try to shoot bad takedowns because he’s not that experienced with high-level fighters.
“He’s going to get tired if he’s used to finishing people quickly. I’m going to use my jab, use my footwork, weather the storm in the first, and then take over in the second and third.
“I’m just going to jab and move. Kick his legs, kick his body, punch to the body, counter him when he swings in the air, and then knock him out with the flying knee in the second round.”
