Tag: Murad Ramazanov

Murad Ramazanov details Khabib Nurmagomedov mentorship, jump from ONE Championship to PFL

Khabib Nurmagomedov underling Murad Ramazanov is the newest member of PFL roster after jumping over from ONE Championship.

[autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] might be a newer name to some North American viewers, but his credentials and trajectory solidify him as a legitimate pickup for PFL. Just ask Darren Till.

Born in Makhachkala, Dagestan, the same Russian hometown that grew [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], it’s no surprise Ramazanov caught the MMA bug.

Wrestling in Greco-Roman, Ramazanov indulged in MMA training shortly before the country was captivated by the rise of Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC).

“I started attending classes to make sure I had no defense and nobody can jump me on the street to apply some simple stuff, so I can defend myself,” Ramazanov recently told MMA Junkie through a Russian interpreter. “I started attending extra classes and working on my chokes. The only chokes I remember I could do was playing video games. That was the only one, and what’s the use in that? Then I started applying it to real life.”

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As Ramazanov’s skills grew, he was eventually adopted into the Nurmagomedov training room – a big feat for a young rising fighter. While he learned many lessons in one of the most legendary training environments in MMA history, Ramazanov singles out focus optimization as the biggest pickup.

“It was great motivation for me to end up in such a gym,” Ramazanov said. “Khabib was getting in his prime. I was fully aware he is one of the best. I’m lucky to train with people like him. Every day I was training, making sure not to miss any submission. I was trying to be perfect with everything. It was a perfect opportunity to learn as much as I can and improve myself. I was learning from that and getting a lot of motivation. I’m very thankful that I ended up training with them. These guys helped me become who I am.”

A decade-plus later from the start of his MMA journey, Ramazanov was one of ONE Championship’s top talents at middleweight. He picked up wins in the promotion over Myung Ho Bae, Hiroyuki Tetsuka, and Zebaztian Kadestam. Following a December 2022 no contest against Roberto Soldic, Ramazanov signed with PFL.

“Whenever I represent the league, I always want to stay active,” Ramazanov said. “I want to be the best. So with ONE, I fought everybody. I fought all the good opponents. Still, I was not able to get the belt and title shot, so I was just not sure if it was going the right way. With PFL, I just see it as a better opportunity for me now. I just feel like I can expand here and grow and have better opportunities, better opponents. Yeah, I’m going to put all of my efforts now in training and show and prove I’m the best in PFL.”

While nothing is finalized, Ramazanov indicated he’ll compete at welterweight for PFL – likely in the 2024 league format. No debut date or opponent is set yet, but Ramazanov likes his odds against any challenge placed in his path.

“I’m not going to hide it. My strong side is wrestling,” Ramazanov said. “That’s what I’m very comfortable with. But also, with the way I fight, I usually put on a lot of control and pressure. A lot of my opponents have a difficult time with that. I have pretty good cardio, so I always move forward. I put pressure. Another thing, I keep working on my striking. Now, everybody is going to be trying to be aware of my wrestling. I have a couple surprises coming in for them from the striking (and) punches. They will have to pay attention and I’ll try to make sure to keep putting a lot of pressure on them to the point they cannot resist. That is going to pretty much be my strategy.

PFL adds Khabib Nurmagomedov-trained Murad Ramazanov to roster

A Khabib Nurmagomedov-trained fighter is the latest addition to the PFL roster.

A Khabib Nurmagomedov-trained fighter is the latest addition to the PFL roster.

The promotion announced that it has signed undefeated Dagestani standout [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] to an exclusive multifight contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ramazanov, 28, is 11-0 with one no contest in 12 appearances as a professional. He will enter the PFL after a four-fight stint with ONE Championship where he won two fights by unanimous decision and one by first-round knockout.

Ramazanov’s most recent bout with former KSW two-division champion Roberto Soldic ended in a no contest at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022 after Ramazanov accidentally landed a knee to Soldic’s groin that rendered him unable to continue.

For Ramazanov’s career, seven of his 11 victories have been finishes.

Ramazanov has spent his career training with world-class athletes, alongside UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov at Khabib’s gym, Nurmagomedov MMA School.

According to the PFL, Ramazanov will make his PFL debut in the first half of the year. It’s unclear which division as he’s competed at both middleweight and welterweight.

Roberto Soldic set for promotional debut at ONE on Prime Video 5

Regarded as one of the best fighters outside the UFC, former KSW double champion Roberto Soldic is set for his ONE Championship debut.

Perhaps the most high profile recent addition to the ONE Championship roster has a date and opponent for his promotional debut.

Former KSW double champion [autotag]Roberto Soldic[/autotag] (20-3) will enter the ONE Championship cage for the first time Dec. 2 when he takes on [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] (11-0). The welterweight fight will serve as part of ONE on Prime Video 5 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Considered by many MMA diehards one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC, Soldic held the KSW middleweight and welterweight titles prior to his exit. In 20 pro wins, the 27-year-old has 19 finishes and is regarded as an all-action fighter.

While Soldic hinted to MMA Junkie in February he expected to sign with the UFC. In March, Soldic met with UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell backstage in London, but he ultimately chose ONE Championship, which he signed with in August.

Ramazanov, 26, is undefeated as a professional. He’s 3-0 in ONE Championship thus far with victories over Myung Ho Bae, Hiroyuki Tetsuka, and Zebaztian Kadestam.

No other bouts have been announced for ONE on Prime Video 5 at this time.

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ONE Championship 120 results, video highlights: John Lineker takes out Kevin Belingon

In his first fight in a year, former UFC standout John Lineker put himself in the ONE Championship title picture with a second-round TKO.

In his first fight in a year, former UFC standout [autotag]John Lineker[/autotag] put himself in the ONE Championship title picture with a second-round TKO.

Lineker (33-9) took out former ONE bantamweight champion [autotag]Kevin Belingon[/autotag] (20-8) with a blistering stoppage worthy of his “Hands of Stone” nickname. Lineker drilled Belingon with a stiff left jab, then came behind it with a right uppercut that put Belingon on the canvas against the fence.

With Belingon covering up, Lineker delivered several quick left hands that forced the referee to jump in for a TKO at the 1:16 mark of the second round. The fight was the ONE Championship 120 main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The bout took place Oct. 30, but aired on a tape-delay basis Friday.

The win was Lineker’s second straight after moving to ONE from the UFC in 2019 after a loss to Cory Sandhagen. Lineker was in the UFC for 16 fights and went 12-4 as a flyweight and bantamweight. His career there was marked with several instances of weight misses in both divisions.

But as a featherweight with ONE, he now has the stoppage of a former champion to go with his promotional debut – a decision over Muin Gafurov in October 2019.

Belingon dropped his third straight fight. It was his first bout after three straight fights against Bibiano Fernandes. In November 2018, he beat Fernandes with a split decision to win the bantamweight title. But he lost the belt to him in March 2019 when he was disqualified for illegal elbows. When they rematched in October 2019, Fernandes submitted him to retain the belt.

Check out highlights from the main event and co-main event above.

ONE Championship 120 results included:

  • John Lineker def. Kevin Belingon via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:16
  • [autotag]Geje Eustaquio[/autotag] def. [autotag]Min Jong Song[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] def. [autotag]Hiroyuki Tetsuka[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Fan Rong[/autotag] def. [autotag]Yuri Samoes[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Hiroshi Minowa[/autotag] def. [autotag]Lito Adiwang[/autotag] via split decision

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ONE Championship 109 results: Yoshihiro Akiyama rolls back the years to flatten Sherif Mohamed

Asian MMA icon Yoshihiro Akiyama produced a stunning one-punch knockout to stun Sherif Mohamed at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” in Singapore.

Asian MMA legend [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] turned the tables on heavy-handed [autotag]Sherif Mohamed[/autotag] to score a stunning first-round knockout and show that at 44, he still possesses the sort of punching power that can finish a fight in an instant.

Akiyama (15-7) had to weather an early storm against Mohamed (9-6) when the Egyptian came flying out of his corner throwing bombs from the opening bell and tagged the Japanese-Korean star in the opening exchanges of their bout at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle.”

Mohamed had clearly arrived in Singapore looking to overwhelm the older man, and kept the pressure on as he chased the backpedaling Akiyama around the cage, connecting with heavy punches as he dominated the first 90 seconds of the fight.

But Akiyama eventually found his feet and briefly halted Mohamed’s charge with a thumping leg kick that clearly affected his opponent. He then narrowly missed with a spectacular spinning heel kick to the head as the veteran showed his physical gifts were still very much at his disposal.

Then, with Mohamed launching into another charge, “Sexyama” struck. A perfectly-timed short left hand connected flush on the onrushing Mohamed’s chin, sending the former EFC champion crumbling down to the canvas. Akiyama moved in to land a finishing shot to his downed foe, and the fight was swiftly stopped to give the former UFC veteran a stunning knockout win – his first victory since his win over Amir Sadollah at UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama in September 2014.

After his victory, Akiyama told ONE co-commentator Mitch Chilson, “This is the start of my martial arts journey,” before asking for the chance to fight in South Korea.

“I want a chance, if possible, in Korea,” he said.

Eto stuns Singapore’s Khan with quickfire submission

The top-billed MMA fight on the card saw Singaporean lightweight contender [autotag]Amir Khan[/autotag] submitted in swift fashion by Japanese grappler [autotag]Kimihiro Eto[/autotag] as the ONE Warrior Series graduate announced himself as a legitimate threat to the lightweight division’s best.

Khan (12-7) looked to settle into his striking early, but was quickly taken to the canvas by Eto (17-5-2), who pinned his man against the fence, then locked up a tight rear-naked choke that eventually put Khan to sleep inside the opening two minutes of the matchup.

Teo surges back into title contention at strawweight

It may have been a disappointing night for Singapore’s Khan, but it was a huge night for his compatriot as former women’s strawweight title challenger [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag] stopped surging Japanese judoka [autotag]Ayaka Miura[/autotag] to position herself for a potential title rematch with the woman who beat her to win the inaugural title, China’s Xiong Jing Nan.

Xiong was an interested spectator at cageside as Teo (9-1) used her striking skills to nullify Miura’s grappling attack before eventually finishing an exhausted “Zombie” with body shots on the ground with 15 seconds remaining in the fight.

Miura (10-3) had actually started well, and appeared to be dominating the action on the mat, but Teo managed to escape before settling into her striking rhythm to pepper the Japanese contender with a constant jab and chopping leg kicks en route to a last-gasp stoppage victory.

“ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” official MMA results:

  • Kimihiro Eto def. Amir Khan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:39
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Sherif Mohamed via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:04
  • Tiffany Teo def. Ayaka Miura via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:45

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Denice Zamboanga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mei Yamaguchi[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Honorio Banario[/autotag] def. [autotag]Shannon Wiratchai[/autotag] via split decision
  • [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag] def. [autotag]Wu Chiao Chen[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] def. [autotag]Myung Ho Bae[/autotag] via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 4:53
  • [autotag]Jeff Chan[/autotag] def. [autotag]Radeem Rahman[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:00

‘ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle’ live results

Stay up to date with MMA Junkie’s live results as ONE Championship returns to Singapore for its latest offering: “King of the Jungle.”

The coronavirus may have forced the postponement and cancellation of a host of sporting events across Asia in recent weeks, but ONE Championship is continuing its 50-event 2020 schedule, undeterred.

The Asian promotion returns to its administrative home of Singapore for “King of the Jungle,” for an unusual behind-closed-doors event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with a fight card topped by kickboxing and muay Thai title fights. But here at MMA Junkie, our focus will be on the MMA matchups, with one of Singapore’s finest looking to shine on home soil.

Singaporean lightweight contender Amir Khan returns to action against Japanese prospect Kimihiro Eto looking to move back into title contention, while 44-year-old Asian MMA icon Yoshihiro Akiyama will bid to secure his first win as a ONE Championship athlete – and his first win in five and a half years – when he takes on Egypt’s Sherif Mohamed.

Japanese female judoka [autotag]Ayaka Miura[/autotag] could catapult herself straight into the strawweight title picture with victory over former title challenger [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag] while, in the featured preliminary bout, longtime atomweight contender [autotag]Mei Yamaguchi[/autotag] will hope to secure a trilogy fight with old adversary Angela Lee with a decisive win over [autotag]Denise Zamboanga[/autotag].

Fans in the United States can stream the preliminary “lead card” live via the video player above from 4:30am E.T., with the main card streaming on B/R Live from 7:30am E.T.

Fans in other countries can stream the event in its entirety via YouTube here.

“ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” live MMA results include:

  • Kimihiro Eto vs. Amir Khan
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Sherif Mohamed
  • Ayaka Miura vs. Tiffany Teo

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Mei Yamaguchi vs. Denice Zamboanga
  • [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Honorio Banario[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shannon Wiratchai[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wu Chiao Chen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Myung Ho Bae[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeff Chan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Radeem Rahman[/autotag]