“Legends who laid foundations of a new sport” - Murad Ramazanov looking forward to meeting Renzo Gracie

ONE rising star Murad Ramazanov comes from a decorated sambo background, but he also has major admiration for one of the biggest pillars in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Dagestani grappler cited the legendary Renzo Gracie as one of his idols.

When Ramazanov made his way to the United States to train, he hoped to meet the BJJ icon in person and perhaps even train with him and pick his brain.

He told ONE:

“I haven’t had the honor of meeting Renzo yet - due to COVID-19 their gym in NYC, it didn’t work as usual. I was introduced to Ricardo Almeida, who is a coach for Frankie Edgar and Eddie Alvarez. He thinks I might win if I compete at ADCC and promised to make an introduction to Renzo. Gracie's family are pioneers, legends who laid foundations of a new sport. In the world of martial arts and combat sports, they are the top.”

Renzo, of course, comes from the revered Gracie family, known for uplifting the grappling arts and popularizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu all over the world.

It goes without saying that the BJJ royalty would have loved to share a moment with an astute student of the game like Ramazanov, given his strong ties with the world’s largest martial arts organization.

ONE, after all, coaxed Gracie out of retirement in 2018, when he submitted fellow BJJ icon Yuki Kondo via rear-naked choke at ONE: Reign of Kings.

Gracie has also served as a guest commentator for some of ONE’s submission grappling matches and even made an appearance on season one of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.

Ramazanov, on the other hand, will be taking on the biggest challenge of his promising career yet, as he welcomes the red-hot Roberto Soldic inside the circle.

The possible world-title eliminator bout at 185 pounds takes place this Friday, December 2, in US primetime at ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs Malykhin.

The entire card will stream live and free of charge for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Murad Ramazanov says Khabib Nurmagomedov paved the way for Dagestani fighters

Aside from Gracie, Ramazanov also credits his countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of his biggest influences in him pursuing a career in mixed martial arts.

‘The Eagle’ retired with an unblemished 29-0 MMA record having turned into a respected world champion, something that Ramazanov aspires to become soon.

The undefeated 27-year-old told ONE in the same interview:

“We all looked up to Khabib. He was one of us, a guy from Dagestan who was proud of his heritage, of his fighting style, who was respected. He became a champion. People respected him. We looked at Khabib and believed that it was possible for us, too, one day. His influence on the region is huge.”