LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag] credits [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] for encouraging him toward his UFC goal.
Naimov (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who fell short in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, admits he was starting to lose faith that the UFC will ever become a reality for him. But his Elevation Fight Team training partner and current bantamweight contender Sandhagen urged him to keep his dream alive, and Naimov thanks him for that.
“To be honest, no. I didn’t have the confidence,” Naimov told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Myy confidence it break when I won my Titan FC title, they give to another guy. Then I said to myself, ‘Hey Muhammad, that’s done.’ I’m really tired. And Cory Sandhagen he was my corner, he is my coach right now, he’s my friend.
“He told me, ‘He, Muhammad, you are very talented. You’re a really good athlete. I promise you’ll be in the UFC one day. I just promise. Just work hard and wait for your time.’ I want to thank Cory right now. Hey, Cory, you did a lot for me. I love you my brother.”
That all changed this past Saturday when Naimov got the short-notice call to replace Guram Kutateladze against Jamie Mullarkey in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN 45. The biggest underdog on the card, Naimov rallied to knock out Mullarkey in Round 2, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Following his win, the Tajikistan-born fighter had a message for the entire 145-pound division, which he plans on dropping back down to.
“I want to fight featherweight. I want to go back to featherweight,” Naimov said. “That’s my division. All my pro fights I had at are at featherweight.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.