For most people the prospect of facing a debuting Roberto Soldic would be a daunting one.\u00a0
\nThe Croatian has built a reputation as a devastating knockout artist and is riding a seven fight win streak when he arrives in ONE this weekend.
\nHowever, in Murad Ramazanov, he has been handed an equally tough task.
\n11-0 in MMA, and riding an impressive three-fight win streak in ONE, Ramazanov is a genuine contender in the welterweight division.\u00a0
\nWith a strong wrestling background, the 27-year-old was also unbeaten as an amateur, and knows a win this weekend would put him in the upper echelons of the division, and in title contention.
\nBut who is Murad Ramazanov?
\nHe grew up in Makhachkala, Russia, a now famed location for the production of top-class fighters. The youngest of three children, Ramazanov had a comfortable upbringing thanks to his family\u2019s small production business, mainly specialising in shoes.
\nHe describes himself as being spoiled as a child, with a special relationship with his father – and being kept in line by a more strict mother.
\nDespite his father wanting Ramazanov to follow in his footsteps as a businessman, there were early signs of a more combative future.
\n\u201cMy father had a huge influence on me – he was my rock, my support, and me inspiration. One of my on- screen heroes was [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, but my true idol was Jean-Claude Van Damme – we had a tape with \u201cBloodsport,\u201d and I must have watched it a thousand times. I loved his technique, his kicks – it was spectacular.\u201d
\nAs a youngster, he would fight on the streets, but nothing too serious. He had tried his hand at boxing and football, but when he was introduced to wrestling by his father he had an instant connection.\u00a0
\n\u201cHe practiced it in the army, when he served in Georgia, where it\u2019s a very popular sport. I started
\nwith boxing when I was 10 or 11 years old, then soccer for a year, where coaches were not great. I didn\u2019t want to start freestyle wrestling because of the coaches who brought up shouting and hitting. But one morning, when I was 12 years old, my father took me to Greco-Roman Wrestling, where there was a younger coach, he had a different approach to us. My father told me that I could train for a week and if I did not like it, then I could quit. But I really got into it quickly.\u201d
\nScouted from a young age by national coaches, Ramazanov would go on to win multiple junior and amateur accolades, and even moved to Moscow to further his wrestling education – a difficult move for someone so family orientated. After becoming disillusioned with a drop in coaching standards, he would move from Moscow to Dagestan and his transition to jiu-jitsu and MMA began.
\n\u201cBecause of my wrestling background, I immediately got good at it – they even thought that I
\nwas an experienced fighter,\u201d he said. \u201cI joined a pro team under Yusup Saadulaev and there were so many skilled guys among them! I thought I was good, but I was humbled. I got caught in triangles and armbars, which I didn\u2019t like. I wanted to spar with MMA guys who were great on the ground and on their feet, but I didn\u2019t have enough skill. I wasn\u2019t planning to go straight into MMA, but I quickly realized that I was only good in one area: wrestling. My new goal was to become a well-rounded fighter, to learn how to use elbows and knees, and how to mix wrestling and striking.\u201d
\nThis was all at the age of 16.\u00a0
\nInspired by Khabib Nurmagomedov, he would stay true to his wrestling background and build his base from there.
\n\u201cKhabib used his biggest asset \u2013 the dominant wrestling \u2013 and developed everything else from that. I tried to emulate him. If it wasn\u2019t for Khabib, I would have lost some of my core skills, trying to become a striker, a kickboxer,\u201d he explained.
\nIt worked. An undefeated stint as an amateur eventually led to Ramazanov having some professional fights as a teenager. But a big win when he was 21, pushed his trajectory, and by early 2020 we was signing with ONE.
\n\u201cBefore I signed with ONE, I had followed this organization for a while because I liked its tough rules. Guys from my gym like Marat Gafurov and Yusup Saadulaev fought there. When I went to Singapore for my debut, I was impressed by how the staff treated us athletes, how we were greeted by CEO Chatri Sityodtong.\u201d
\nAnd now he sits 3-0 in ONE on the verge of a title shot, he thinks he already deserves, with Soldic standing in his way.
\n\u201cI think I deserved it then, but if the company\u2019s management decided that I needed to smash
\nanother guy on the way to the top, it\u2019s ok. I think one more fight, and I should be given a title shot. I\u2019ve already won three fights in ONE, that\u2019s enough for a title shot, I think and many experts and MMA fans agree with me.\u201d
\nIt is a high stakes fight for both men, and one which could steal the show this weekend.\u00a0
\nONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin takes place Saturday December 3 5am GST at the Mall Of Asia Arena, Manila. This is a night not to be missed so mark your calendars, download the ONE Super App, and go to watch.onefc.com now!
\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For most people the prospect of facing a debuting Roberto Soldic would be a daunting one.\u00a0
\nThe Croatian has built a reputation as a devastating knockout artist and is riding a seven fight win streak when he arrives in ONE this weekend.
\nHowever, in Murad Ramazanov, he has been handed an equally tough task.
\n11-0 in MMA, and riding an impressive three-fight win streak in ONE, Ramazanov is a genuine contender in the welterweight division.\u00a0
\nWith a strong wrestling background, the 27-year-old was also unbeaten as an amateur, and knows a win this weekend would put him in the upper echelons of the division, and in title contention.
\nBut who is Murad Ramazanov?
\nHe grew up in Makhachkala, Russia, a now famed location for the production of top-class fighters. The youngest of three children, Ramazanov had a comfortable upbringing thanks to his family\u2019s small production business, mainly specialising in shoes.
\nHe describes himself as being spoiled as a child, with a special relationship with his father \u2013 and being kept in line by a more strict mother.
\nDespite his father wanting Ramazanov to follow in his footsteps as a businessman, there were early signs of a more combative future.
\n\u201cMy father had a huge influence on me \u2013 he was my rock, my support, and me inspiration. One of my on- screen heroes was [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, but my true idol was Jean-Claude Van Damme \u2013 we had a tape with \u201cBloodsport,\u201d and I must have watched it a thousand times. I loved his technique, his kicks \u2013 it was spectacular.\u201d
\nAs a youngster, he would fight on the streets, but nothing too serious. He had tried his hand at boxing and football, but when he was introduced to wrestling by his father he had an instant connection.\u00a0
\n\u201cHe practiced it in the army, when he served in Georgia, where it\u2019s a very popular sport. I started
\nwith boxing when I was 10 or 11 years old, then soccer for a year, where coaches were not great. I didn\u2019t want to start freestyle wrestling because of the coaches who brought up shouting and hitting. But one morning, when I was 12 years old, my father took me to Greco-Roman Wrestling, where there was a younger coach, he had a different approach to us. My father told me that I could train for a week and if I did not like it, then I could quit. But I really got into it quickly.\u201d
\nScouted from a young age by national coaches, Ramazanov would go on to win multiple junior and amateur accolades, and even moved to Moscow to further his wrestling education \u2013 a difficult move for someone so family orientated. After becoming disillusioned with a drop in coaching standards, he would move from Moscow to Dagestan and his transition to jiu-jitsu and MMA began.
\n\u201cBecause of my wrestling background, I immediately got good at it \u2013 they even thought that I
\nwas an experienced fighter,\u201d he said. \u201cI joined a pro team under Yusup Saadulaev and there were so many skilled guys among them! I thought I was good, but I was humbled. I got caught in triangles and armbars, which I didn\u2019t like. I wanted to spar with MMA guys who were great on the ground and on their feet, but I didn\u2019t have enough skill. I wasn\u2019t planning to go straight into MMA, but I quickly realized that I was only good in one area: wrestling. My new goal was to become a well-rounded fighter, to learn how to use elbows and knees, and how to mix wrestling and striking.\u201d
\nThis was all at the age of 16.\u00a0
\nInspired by Khabib Nurmagomedov, he would stay true to his wrestling background and build his base from there.
\n\u201cKhabib used his biggest asset \u2013 the dominant wrestling \u2013 and developed everything else from that. I tried to emulate him. If it wasn\u2019t for Khabib, I would have lost some of my core skills, trying to become a striker, a kickboxer,\u201d he explained.
\nIt worked. An undefeated stint as an amateur eventually led to Ramazanov having some professional fights as a teenager. But a big win when he was 21, pushed his trajectory, and by early 2020 we was signing with ONE.
\n\u201cBefore I signed with ONE, I had followed this organization for a while because I liked its tough rules. Guys from my gym like Marat Gafurov and Yusup Saadulaev fought there. When I went to Singapore for my debut, I was impressed by how the staff treated us athletes, how we were greeted by CEO Chatri Sityodtong.\u201d
\nAnd now he sits 3-0 in ONE on the verge of a title shot, he thinks he already deserves, with Soldic standing in his way.
\n\u201cI think I deserved it then, but if the company\u2019s management decided that I needed to smash
\nanother guy on the way to the top, it\u2019s ok. I think one more fight, and I should be given a title shot. I\u2019ve already won three fights in ONE, that\u2019s enough for a title shot, I think and many experts and MMA fans agree with me.\u201d
\nIt is a high stakes fight for both men, and one which could steal the show this weekend.\u00a0
\nONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin takes place Saturday December 3 5am GST at the Mall Of Asia Arena, Manila. This is a night not to be missed so mark your calendars, download the ONE Super App, and go to watch.onefc.com now!
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=253981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253982,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253981\/revisions\/253982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=253981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=253981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=253981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}