Amir Khan promises to entertain as coronavirus forces ONE Championship 109 behind closed doors

Singaporean lightweight Amir Khan says he intends to do what he does best and finish his man when he returns to action on home soil at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle.”

Khan (12-6) has finished 10 of his career victories inside the distance and remains one of the most dangerous contenders in ONE’s lightweight division. But despite his penchant for finishes, his last outing saw him battle all the way to the scorecards as he edged a split-decision verdict against New Zealand’s Ev Ting at “ONE Championship 104: Edge of Greatness.”

Khan takes on Japanese ONE Warrior Series graduate Kimihiro Eto, who won three bouts in ONE’s talent-finding sub-promotion to earn his spot on the full ONE roster. He lost out to South Korea’s Sae Sung Park on his ONE debut in July 2019, but returns this weekend looking to claim a win over one of the promotion’s bigger names.

Eto (16-5-2) is no stranger to Khan, with the pair having trained together in the past, and the Singaporean says both men know what to expect from each other on fight night.

“We’re both familiar with each other’s styles,” he said. “He has more of a wrestler base. He’s very technical in this area. We both know what we’re trying to do, roughly, but I’ll be expecting some surprises from him, too.”

Khan said his preparation has been as smooth as ever, despite the coronavirus outbreak in the region. The situation has forced ONE to hold the Feb. 28 event behind closed doors at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with no fans allowed into the building for the fights. However, Khan, who trains at the Evolve MMA gym in the city, said he has experienced no issues during fight camp, and he plans to deliver an entertaining performance for those fans watching from home, rather than inside the arena.

“Training so far has been great, and the coronavirus did not affect my training at all,” he said. “I’ve still been running outdoors, and training has been going phenomenal.

“Initially I was kind of bummed about (fighting behind closed doors), because I love the fans and I get the energy from the crowd. But, at the end of the day, the fight has to go on, and it’s just safe for the fans. So I’ll just keep in mind that they’re watching from home, so I’m still going to bring my A-game and put on a great show.”

With Stamp Fairtex and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defending their respective kickboxing and muay Thai titles in the two main event fights in Singapore, Khan’s battle with Eto forms the featured MMA fight of the evening in “The Lion City,” and the 25-year-old said his aim is to get back to doing what he does best, finishing fights.

“This year I want to get back to my finishing ways,” he said. “I’m trying to go for the finish and put on the pressure right from the bell. … I feel really confident, really fresh, and ready to go.”