Adriano Moraes vs. Kairat Akhmetov title fight co-headlines ONE Championship’s return to China

ONE Championship returns to Beijing on Nov. 21, and the promotion has added another title fight to the card.

Headlined by a title unification bout between featherweight champion Jadamba Narantungalag and interim titleholder Marat Gafurov, the fight card will mark the return of flyweight kingpin Adriano Moraes against undefeated Kairat Akhmetov.

Moraes (13-1), the first and only 125-pound champion in ONE history, defended his belt for the first time in March, defeating Asuka Mikami via unanimous decision. In his previous three bouts, "Mikinho" submitted Yasuhiro Urushitani, Kosuke Suzuki and Geje Eustaquio.

Unbeaten as a mixed martial artist, Kazakhstan-native Akhmetov makes his ONE debut after racking up a perfect 22-0 record competing mostly in his home country. The flyweight prospect, who made his MMA debut in 2010, finished 18 of his opponents, including 13 submissions.

"I am looking forward to returning to the ONE cage and have been training really hard for Kairat for months," Moraes stated in a release. "His record is impressive but I believe that my polished skill set will deter him from taking the belt. I am ready and I can’t wait to be back in action this November."

"I am excited to fight in Asia’s largest MMA promotion and my aim is to be the best flyweight in the world," Akhmetov responded. "I will make my debut a memorable one by capturing the title. I respect Moraes but I want nothing more than to have that belt strapped around my waist."

Scheduled for the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Centre in China, the fight card will also host the second edition of the Beijing featherweight tournament, featuring local fighters Zhang Jia Cai against Qiao Long Fei, and Yang Sen versus Ala Teng Bu Ri Ge De in the preliminary rounds.