ONE Championship: Mongolia’s Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu wants a seat at top table, thinks Belakh win will get him there
- Only fighters in top six of a division appear on promotion’s rankings, and Mongolian bantamweight has sights set on top five
- Baatarkhuu will take on Russian Artem Belakh at ONE Fight Night 18 on Saturday
In each division only six fighters appear on the ONE Championship rankings. Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu has never seen his name there but thinks that could all change with a win this weekend.
The Mongolian mixed martial artist fights at bantamweight which is one of ONE Championship’s most competitive divisions. He is coming off a win over previously undefeated Filipino Jhanlo Sangiao.
That victory put Baatarkhuu on the MMA map and he will be looking to build on it at ONE Fight Night 18 this Saturday. He faces Artem Belakh at Lumpinee Stadium and thinks a win over the Russian could propel him into the top five.
“This is a very important fight for me,” he said. “If I win this fight, I will be one step closer to entering the bantamweight MMA rankings, which is my main goal. So basically, this is a make-or-break time for me.”
He is trained by Narantungalag Jadambaa. The former ONE Championship featherweight champion knows all about fighting Russians, he faced Marat Gafurov twice and was submitted on both occasions.
It is a fate that Baatarkhuu wants to avoid. Russians have enjoyed sustained success in ONE Championship with heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin holding two titles and looking to add a third.