Fighters are faced with plenty of obstacles throughout their professional careers, and every ONE athlete has a tale of overcoming adversity. Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov is no different.
After excelling as a Greco-Roman wrestler, Akhmetov made the transition into the world of professional martial arts and experienced immediate success.
He reeled off a huge string of consecutive wins before making a dream promotional debut with ONE, beating Adriano Moraes to win the ONE Flyweight World Championship in November 2015.
But less than a year later, Akhmetov suffered a debilitating back injury while training at the famed Jackson Wink MMA camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Honestly, in my mind, I never thought I would finish my career because of the injury. So even when it was very hard, and thoughts of retirement started to pop out in my head more often, deep inside I knew I could not leave that way, and I had more things to accomplish.”
Rather than dwell on the issue, Akhmetov fought through the pain and worked his way back into the cage with a rematch with Moraes. That became yet another hurdle to leap, as he lost a unanimous decision in Macau and had to give up his belt.
But again, “The Kazakh” bounced straight back, splitting two fierce battles with Geje Eustaquio, before beating Ma Hao Bin at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES last September.
Akhmetov credits his support team for his renewed self-belief.
“It is crucial to have family and the right people with you,” he says. “I do not believe in the concept of a self-made man. We all achieve something because of the help of others. That is why it is important to have support, and also to give back to others, too.”
He realizes there are plenty of people out there facing challenges that don’t necessarily involve martial arts, and to them, he offers his favorite pieces of advice.
“First, always remember why you started, and what made you do it in the beginning. Second, you should know that it is always too soon to quit — if you quit, you will betray yourself. And third, always remember that a lot of people are counting on you, and you cannot let them down,” he shares.
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