“I must have watched it a thousand times” - Murad Ramazanov says ‘Bloodsport’ fascinated him growing up 

Murad Ramazanov’s two primary influences were his father and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

It’s nearly impossible to be a diehard combat sports fan and not see Bloodsport. The 1988 martial arts movie inspired many future fighters, including Ramazanov. During an interview with ONE Championship, the undefeated Russian had this to say:

“My father had a huge influence on me - he was my rock, my support, and me inspiration… One of my onscreen heroes was [Arnnold] Schwarzenegger, but my true idol was Jean-Claude Van Damme - we had a tape with ‘Bloodsport,’ and I must have watched it a thousand times. I loved his technique, his kicks - it was spectacular.”

Ramazanov’s love for martial arts has led to an 11-0 record, with three coming under the ONE banner. The 27-year-old Russian now has his toughest test yet against promotional newcomer Roberto Soldic, who some fans and analysts expect to take over the welterweight division.

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Murad Ramazanov details how he started wrestling

Roberto Soldic’s striking could cause trouble for Murad Ramazanov. That said, the undefeated Russian has the wrestling skills to cancel out his opponents’ specialties. While speaking with ONE Championship, Ramazanov detailed his journey through martial arts that led to training Greco-Roman wrestling:

“I started with boxing when I was 10 or 11 years old, then football for a year, where the coaches were not great. I didn't 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."

Roberto Soldic vs. Murad Ramazanov is a high-stakes matchup that could lead to a welterweight title shot against Christian Lee, according to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. The welterweight showdown goes down at ONE on Prime Video 5 on Friday, December 2nd, which can be watched for free by Amazon Prime subscribers in North America and Canada.

Check out the full ONE on Prime Video 5 fight card below: