Azamat Murzakanov (born April 12, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 19, 2023, he is #13 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Background

Azamat Murzakanov, was born on April 12, 1989, in the village Dygulybgey,

Baksansky District Baksansky District (russian: Бакса́нский райо́н; kbd, Бэхъсэн къедзыгъуэ; krc, Бахсан район, ''Baxsan rayon'') is an administrativeLaw #12-RZ and a municipalLaw #13-RZ district (raion), one of the ten ...

. After graduating from high school in 2006, he served in the internal troops, and after demobilization, he worked in the

SOBR The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (russian: СОБР - Специальный Отряд Быстрого Реагирования, Spetsial'niy Otryad Bystrovo Reagirovaniya, lit. ''Special Unit of Quick Response''), from 2002 to 2011 k ...

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 Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

). 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).

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. 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. 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. It was later announced that the reason was that Murzakanov had failed USADA doping test, testing positive for

boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)-dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

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. 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. 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. 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Murzakanov was scheduled to make his debut against Marcin Prachnio on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198. However, the bout was later scrapped due to visa issues. Murzakanov was once again scheduled to make his promotional debut against Philipe Lins on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31. However, Lins withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Jared Vanderaa. Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials announced that the bout had been canceled due to Vanderaa not being medically cleared. Murzakanov made his UFC debut against Tafon Nchukwi on March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev Despite losing most of the bout, Murzakanov won the bout after knocking Nchukwi out with a flying knee in round three. This win earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. In his sophomore performance, Murzakanov faced Devin Clark on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three. Murzakanov faced Dustin Jacoby on April 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Murzakanov was scheduled to face Volkan Oezdemir on September 2, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 226 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivak'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 226'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 84'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 2, 2023, at the Accor Arena in Paris, F ...

. However, Murzakanov pulled out in early August due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Bogdan Guskov. Murzakanov was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr. on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52. However, Murzakanov suffered from symptoms related to Pneumonia and was removed from the event

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. 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.

Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (One time) *

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in the Middle East. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from ...

**Brave CF Openweight Tournament

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Dustin Jacoby , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Devin Clark , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:18 , San Diego, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Tafon Nchukwi , KO (flying knee) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:44 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Matheus Scheffel , TKO (punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Mohammad Fakhreddine , KO (punches) , rowspan=2, Brave CF 29 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 , rowspan=2,

Isa Town Isa Town ( ar, مدينة عيسى, ''Madīnat ʿĪsā'') is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country. Etymology The name ''Isa'' refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999 ...

, Bahrain , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Guto Inocente , Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Georgy Sakaev , TKO (punches) , ACB 57 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 , Moscow, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , André Muniz , KO (punch) , United Caucasian FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

Nalchik Nalchik (russian: Нальчик, p=ˈnalʲtɕɪk; Kabardian: //; krc, Нальчик //) is the capital city of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Russia, situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about northwe ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Bogdan Bulakh , Submission (neck crank) , PFC Gladiator 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 , Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Eric Ellerbee , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Global Proving Ground 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 , Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Alexey Sidorenko , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights Global 42 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Alec Hooben , TKO (punches) , Ring of Combat 51 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 , Detroit, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Anzor Khakimov , KO (punch) , ProFC 13: Union Nation Cup (Stage 5) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 , Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murzakanov, Azamat 1989 births Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing ARB Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters