His brother sold the family car. His parents gave what they had. He was a restaurant waiter studying for a university degree in Russia, and he repaid every one of them the moment ONE Championship started paying him bonus money.
Aslamjon Ortikov challenges Asadula “The Dagestan Ninja” Imangazaliev for the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 20, streaming live for members in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26. The 23-year-old Uzbek enters at 24-0 with 13 finishes. His opponent is 12-0 with nine stoppages. Between them, they carry 36 professional victories and not a single loss.
Ortikov has been building toward this fight since he was 8 years old, when his older brother first brought him to a Muay Thai gym in Samarkand. He took to sparring immediately, accumulated more than 200 amateur bouts, and won a junior World Championship in 2017. He studied tourism, worked as a waiter, earned a bachelor’s degree in Russia, and made his move to Thailand in 2022. The family funded it.
“My brother sold his car to send me here so I could train and achieve my dream. My parents and my two brothers did everything for me. They sacrificed their time, their money, and everything,” he said.
“After I got a bonus, I sent some of the money to my brother to pay him back and also to my parents.”
Aslamjon Ortikov chases Uzbek history
Aslamjon Ortikov earned his ONE Championship contract in June 2025 after eight consecutive victories in the weekly series. He followed that with wins over Kongthoranee Sor Sommai and Jordan Estupinan to reach 24-0 overall and 10-0 in the promotion. Then the title shot arrived.
He is not the only Uzbek fighter carrying national momentum into this period. Compatriot Avazbek Kholmirzaev became Uzbekistan’s first ONE MMA World Champion earlier this year, and the two have exchanged messages of mutual support. The country is also competing in its first FIFA World Cup, and Ortikov is aware of what winning on Friday would mean within that context.
“Definitely, my dream is to win the belt and become the first ONE Muay Thai World Champion from Uzbekistan. I’m going to give everything to get the belt, and I’m going to put on a really crazy fight,” he said.
“Nowadays, a lot of talented young fighters from the new generation are coming through. At the same time, they are watching me, and they want to fight in ONE Championship.”