The true fighter that he is, former ONE flyweight world champion Kairat Akhmetov is not one to wait for opportunities to come his way. Instead, he goes out and looks for them.

It was the same situation he found himself in when he was asked to battle Australian Reece McLaren in a rematch at ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States next month.

The two top flyweight contenders collide in a featured fight at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, set for May 5 at 1stBank Center in Colorado, U.S.A.

In an interview with ONE Championship, No. 2 contender Kairat Akhmetov shared that he gamely took the fight against Reece McLaren because he did not want to just sit still and be idle.

That's notwithstanding that he could be next in line for the winner of the title clash between reigning champion Demetrious Johnson and former division king Adriano Moraes, which will headline ONE’s U.S. show.

‘The Kazakh’ said:

“I could have declined this fight with Reece and just waited for the result of the Moraes vs. Johnson fight. But I can’t just sit still. I’m not afraid of anybody but God. I’m 100 percent ready.”

Kairat Akhmetov lost a unification bout for the ONE flyweight world championship in August 2017 against interim titleholder Moraes. He has since picked things up well, winning six of seven fights, including his last five matches. The winning run has put him in a solid position for a title shot.

One of his victories was over McLaren in March 2019, when he won by unanimous decision.

At ONE Fight Night 10, Kairat Akhmetov is expecting another tough challenge from ‘Lightning’ McLaren, who is driven to exact payback and is also looking to extend his winning run to three straight. The Australian is currently No. 4 in the rankings of the ONE flyweight division.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be aired live and for free to North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.