“I think he is a good fighter, and his style is very aggressive. And his advantage is his height and arm length,” said Zhang.

Abevi suffered the first loss his career in his ONE Championship debut against Turkey’s Halil Amir but despite the defeat, Zhang was impressed by what he saw.

“I watched his two [ONE Championship] fights and I would give him seven out of 10.

“He got an incredible KO in the second fight. Although he lost in the first fight, his performance was impressive,” said Zhang. “He kept pushing forward in the whole fight, and has great physical fitness and power.”

But Zhang is also encouraged by what he has seen.

“He is too big and reckless. So I can counter-attack and seize the opportunities to get submissions.”

Zhang himself has fought four times for ONE Championship, picking up three victories and two US$50,000 performance bonuses.

Before joining ONE Championship, Zhang won The Ultimate Fighter ‘China’ in 2014 to earn a UFC contract, and after a handful of fights for the American promotion, returned to his homeland and won the Kunlun Fight welterweight title.

The only loss of his ONE Championship career came at the hands of Saygid Izagakhmaev, and he believes the Russian wrestler has set a blueprint that Abevi will follow – and that means doing more wrestling than engaging in a striking battle.

“If he did some research on me, he would find that I lost my third [ONE Championship] fight because of wrestling. So, I think he will do wrestling again in this time.”

Zhang acknowledges that Abevi might come into the fight in better condition because the Swiss is younger. But he is also adamant his age will not be a disadvantage, as there is no substitute for experience.

“Age is just a number,” he said. “I feel that I am still in my prime.

“But experience is definitely important. During the fight, you cannot only rely on your power, but also on the experience you had before. For example, how you can respond when you meet an unexpected situation during the fight.”

Zhang is part of a three-man Chinese contingent at ONE Fight Night 22, and few people can be better equipped to assess the prospects of up-and-coming fighters from his country than the veteran.

One fighter he has been keeping a close eye on is Hu Yong, the Chinese flyweight matched against Australia’s Reece McLaren, and Zhang is impressed by what he has seen of Hu.

“I think he has the potential to become a champion. His style is aggressive, and he has skills. If he wins in this fight, I think he is fully qualified to challenge the champion.”

While Hu might not be a household name in China, the same cannot be said of Wei Rui, who is one of the best kick-boxers the country has ever produced.

The former K-1 lightweight champion makes his ONE Championship debut on Saturday, and Zhang is excited to see what his compatriot can achieve. He tips him to challenge for a kickboxing title.

“He [Wei] had lots of fights in China, and he was also the first Chinese fighter to get a championship in K-1. That’s why he has impressed many people and I hope that he can take the ONE belt.”

Zhang himself still dreams of winning the lightweight title and thinks a win over Abevi would leave him on course to do that later this year.

“The main goal is to win and have a chance to challenge the champion at the end of year.”