Undefeated ONE welterweight mauler Murad Ramazanov is just one win away from his first world title shot. To get there, however, he needs to get past the much-hyped Croatian MMA prospect Roberto Soldic at ONE on Prime Video 5. Ramazanov is just one of many Dagestani wrestlers to make it big in MMA, which includes UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, and ONE lightweight star Saygid Izagakhmaev.
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Though wrestling is considered by many to be the prime tool for success in MMA, it's not the only necessary skill one has to become a world champion. Murad Ramazanov had to understand the intricacies of the sport to go with his wrestling acumen, particularly Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ramazanov recounted his BJJ journey in his native country of Russia:
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"When I started training BJJ, in Dagestan, you were respected if you practiced an Olympic sport or something similar to freestyle wrestling - combat sambo or judo were ok, but BJJ and grappling were unknown. When I came back to Moscow and had a summer break from the Greco-Roman Wrestling club, I decided to join my friends for grappling and jiu-jitsu classes."
Murad Ramazanov continued:
"I used to pass by their gym on the way to wrestling: [former ONE featherweight world title challenger] Yusup Saadulaev was a coach, many MMA fighters frequented the gym, and I could see them training through the massive front window. I have always thought it would be interesting to train there. Because of my wrestling background, I immediately got good at it - they even thought that I was an experienced fighter."
Wrestlers are known for their sense of balance, otherworldly strength, insane athleticism, and break-neck pace. Having those attributes in spades coming into jiu-jitsu, anyone will have the capacity to become a world champion. Just ask ADCC silver medalist Nicky Rodriguez.
ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2 and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.
ONE CEO Chatri Sityotong believes Murad Ramazanov is the best 185-pound MMA wrestler from Dagestan
ONE CEO and chairman Chatri Stiyodtong recently praised Murad Ramazanov's dominant run in the promotion's welterweight division. The relentless wrestler from the Caucasus region of Russia has been utterly unstoppable inside the circle, going 3-0 so far in the division.
In the post-fight event conference after ONE on Prime Video 4, Sityodtong ranked Murad Ramazanov's wrestling skills against everyone in the sport today:
"Ramazanov is undefeated. He's currently the number one wrestler in the middleweight division in all of Russia. I mean, if you ask all the major wrestling gyms and teams and whatnot. Murad is by far the best, obviously the best in Dagestan."
If there's anything true about MMA today, it's that any fighter with the word "Dagestan" associated with their name means they're born with cauliflower ears. The tumultuous region of the republic of Dagestan has produced fighters with wrestling skills not to be trifled with. If Sityodtong says Mira's Ramazanov is the best in his weight class in Dagestan, this is bad news for his next opponents.
Watch Sityodtong's interview here:
