Azamat Murzakanov
BornАзамат Мурзаканов
(1989-04-12) April 12, 1989
Dygulybgey, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
Other namesThe Professional
NationalityCircassian
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Reach71 in (180 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofFairfield, New Jersey, U.S.
TeamK-Dojo Warrior Tribe
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins13
By knockout9
By submission1
By decision3
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Azamat Murzakanov (born April 12, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 19, 2023, he is #13 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[2]

Background

Azamat Murzakanov, was born on April 12, 1989, in the village Dygulybgey, Baksansky District. After graduating from high school in 2006, he served in the internal troops, and after demobilization, he worked in the SOBR of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, where he met his future coach, Khachim Mamkhegov (honored trainer of Russia in hand-to-hand combat).[3] With his experienced mentor, Azamat has achieved resounding success in national and international tournaments (multiple champion of Russia, 3-time world champion, gold medalist of the European and Asian championships, honored master of sports in hand-to-hand combat).[4][5][6][7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2010, Azamat Murzakanov started his professional MMA career, training at the Unity Sports Complex in Nalchik. His debut took place on February 13, 2010, at the ProFC - Union Nation Cup 5 tournament, where he knocked out Anzor Khakimov in just 10 seconds. After a break due to work and studies, Murzakanov returned to fighting in June 2015, showcasing his knockout power at the ROC 51 event. In October 2015, he competed in the Polish promotion, Envio Fight Night, and won by unanimous decision.[4]

In 2016, Murzakanov had three fights and achieved early victories in all of them. On May 14, he won via TKO at Global Proving Ground 24; on July 23, he defeated Bohdan Bulakh with a submission; and on October 2, he knocked out André Muniz, ending Muniz's eight-match winning streak. On April 15, 2017, Murzakanov competed in the Russian MMA league, Absolute Championship Akhmat, securing another quick finish against Georgy Sakaev at ACB 57.[4]

Murzakanov signed with the UFC and was expected to face Joachim Christensen on June 25, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee. However, Murzakanov was removed from the card on June 8 for undisclosed reasons.[8] It was later announced that the reason was that Murzakanov had failed USADA doping test, testing positive for boldenone metabolites 5β-androst-1-en-17β-ol-3-one and androsta-1,4-diene-6β-ol-3,17-dione. Murzakanov was suspended for 2 years starting on September 2, 2017.[9][10]

In late 2019, news surfaced that Murzakanov had applied to Brave CF openweight tournament with a prize of $100,000, and was eventually picked to be a part of the tournament.[11] The tournament took part on November 15, 2019, at Brave CF 29, using his wrestling in the semi-final to defeat Guto Inocente via unanimous decision, before knocking out Mohammad Fakhreddine in the first round to win the tournament.[12]

Murzakanov was invited for a second chance in the UFC, appearing on Dana White's Contender Series 37 on August 31, 2021, finishing Matheus Scheffel in the first round to win the bout and gaining a UFC contract.[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Murzakanov was scheduled to make his debut against Marcin Prachnio on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198.[14] However, the bout was later scrapped due to visa issues.[15]

Murzakanov was once again scheduled to make his promotional debut against Philipe Lins on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31.[16] However, Lins withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Jared Vanderaa.[17] Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials announced that the bout had been canceled due to Vanderaa not being medically cleared.[18]

Murzakanov made his UFC debut against Tafon Nchukwi on March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev[19] Despite losing most of the bout, Murzakanov won the bout after knocking Nchukwi out with a flying knee in round three.[20] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[21]

In his sophomore performance, Murzakanov faced Devin Clark on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz.[22] He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[23]

Murzakanov faced Dustin Jacoby on April 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[25]

Murzakanov was scheduled to face Volkan Oezdemir on September 2, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 226.[26] However, Murzakanov pulled out in early August due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Bogdan Guskov.[27]

Murzakanov was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr. on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52.[28] However, Murzakanov suffered from symptoms related to Pneumonia and was removed from the event[29]

Personal life

In 2016, Azamat Murzaganov married wife Zalina, a graduate of the law faculty of the University. H.B. Berbekov. The family has a daughter and a son.[4]

Azamat's younger brother, Marat, is a master of sports in hand-to-hand combat, serving in the border troops of the FSB of Russia.[6]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
13 matches 13 wins 0 losses
By knockout 9 0
By submission 1 0
By decision 3 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–0 Dustin Jacoby Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen April 15, 2023 3 5:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win 12–0 Devin Clark TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz August 13, 2022 3 1:18 San Diego, California, United States
Win 11–0 Tafon Nchukwi KO (flying knee) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev March 12, 2022 3 0:44 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 10–0 Matheus Scheffel TKO (punches) Dana White's Contender Series 37 August 31, 2021 1 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Mohammad Fakhreddine KO (punches) Brave CF 29 November 15, 2019 1 3:37 Isa Town, Bahrain Won the Brave CF Openweight Tournament.
Win 8–0 Guto Inocente Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00 Brave CF Openweight Tournament Semi-final.
Win 7–0 Georgy Sakaev TKO (punches) ACB 57 April 15, 2017 1 1:37 Moscow, Russia
Win 6–0 André Muniz KO (punch) United Caucasian FC 1 October 2, 2016 1 0:50 Nalchik, Russia
Win 5–0 Bogdan Bulakh Submission (neck crank) PFC Gladiator 4 July 23, 2016 1 0:35 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Win 4–0 Eric Ellerbee TKO (doctor stoppage) Global Proving Ground 24 May 14, 2016 1 1:52 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Win 3–0 Alexey Sidorenko Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 42 October 23, 2015 2 5:00 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States
Win 2–0 Alec Hooben TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 51 June 5, 2015 1 0:20 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win 1–0 Anzor Khakimov KO (punch) ProFC 13: Union Nation Cup (Stage 5) February 13, 2010 1 0:10 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States Light Heavyweight debut.

[30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  2. ↑ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  3. ↑ Максим (2021-09-19). "Азамат Мурзаканов – биография, фото, личная жизнь, бои, сейчас". SteepMEN (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Азамат Мурзаканов (Azamat Murzakanov): биография непобежденного дебютанта UFC, статистика выступлений - MMAExpress". mma.express. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  5. ↑ "Мурзаканов и Бесланеев - четырехкратные чемпионы мира". kbrria.ru. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  6. 1 2 "Azamat Murzakanov". mma.metaratings.ru. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  7. ↑ ""Охранять президента ответственнее, чем выступать в ММА". Россиянин из UFC служил в ГРУ и мог подраться с Александром Емельяненко". sport-express.ru (in Russian). 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  8. ↑ Dale Jordan (2017-06-09). "Azamat Murzakanov out of bout with Joachim Christensen, Dominick Reyes now makes UFC debut". mmamad.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Statement on Azamat Murzakanov | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  10. ↑ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2019-04-08). "UFC light heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov accepts two-year USADA suspension". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  11. ↑ Cruz, Guilherme (2019-10-29). "Semifinals set for Brave CF's one-night, four-man openweight tournament". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  12. ↑ "Brave CF 29 results: Azamat Murzakanov runs through competition to win KHK open weight title". MMA Junkie. 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  13. ↑ Heck, Mike (2021-08-31). "DWCS Season 5, Week 1 results: AJ Fletcher, Azamat Murzakanov top night of five UFC contracts". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  14. ↑ ATSteveDuncan (2021-09-08). "Marcin Prachnio vs. Azamat Murzakanov anunciado para la cartelera del 20 de noviembre". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  15. ↑ "Бой Азамат Мурзаканов – Марчин Прачнио на UFC Fight Night 198 отменен". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  16. ↑ Dorff, Marcel (2021-11-16). "Philipe Lins treft Azamat Murzakanov tijdens UFC evenement op 4 december". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  17. ↑ DNA, MMA (2021-11-28). "Jared Vanderaa treft debuterende Azamat Murzakanov op 4 december". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  18. ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (2021-12-03). "UFC Vegas 44 weigh-in results: Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo official, one bout cancelled". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  19. ↑ Behunin, Alex (3 January 2022). "Tafon Nchukwi vs. Azamat Murzakanov Set For March 12 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  20. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2022-03-12). "UFC Vegas 50: Azamat Murzakanov Drops Tafon Nchukwi with Flying Knee in Third". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  21. 1 2 Staff (2022-03-12). "UFC Fight Night 203 bonuses: Yadong, Rountree among four total winners". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  22. ↑ Fern, Julio; Navas, o (2022-05-17). "Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov añadida al UFC Fight Night del 13 de agosto". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  23. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2022-08-13). "UFC San Diego: Nasty Body Shot Sets Up Azamat Murzakanov TKO of Devin Clark". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  24. ↑ Matthew Wells and Nolan King (2023-01-18). "UFC books Dustin Jacoby vs. undefeated Azamat Murzakanov for April event". mmajunkie usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  25. ↑ Rush, Dylan (2023-04-15). "UFC Kansas City: Azamat Murzakanov Maintains Perfect Record Against Dustin Jacoby". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  26. ↑ Farah Hannoun (21 June 2023). "Light heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir, Azamat Murzakanov booked for UFC Paris". MMAjunkie.com.
  27. ↑ News Desk (2023-08-08). "Murzakanov out, Bogdan Guskov debuts vs Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Paris". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  28. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Font-Figueiredo, Rountree-Murzakanov Booked for Dec. 2 UFC Card". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  29. ↑ "Anthony Smith replaces ill Azamat Murzakanov to face Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 233". MMA Junkie. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  30. ↑ "Azamat Murzakanov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
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