“I Owe My Success to Dad” – How Martial Arts Helped Murad Ramazanov Form a Tight Bond With His Father

Published 12/01/2022, 3:30 AM EST
Undefeated welterweight star Murad Ramazanov had everything a child could want growing up, but he still had to work hard to achieve his dreams. The Russian, who returns to the ONE Circle versus Roberto Soldic at ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2, has remembered that each time he has stepped into action, and it has helped him forge a perfect 11-0 career in mixed martial arts.
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Ramazanov came from a well-to-do family in Makhachkala, Russia. Despite his fortunate upbringing, his father, a Greco-Roman wrestler, sought to introduce him to combat sports from a young age in the hopes of developing a passion in him.
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Murad Ramazanov’s father changed his approach toward combat sports
“Yes, he practiced it in the army when he served in Georgia, where it’s a very popular sport. I started with boxing when I was 10 or 11 years old, then soccer for a year, where the coaches were not great,” the 27-year-old said.
“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, who had a different approach to us. My father told me that I could train for a week, and if I did not like it, I could quit.”
This approach seemed to work, as quitting was the last thing on Ramazanov’s mind, though. The future MMA star instantly took a liking to the sport. He threw himself into wrestling with motivation and dedication, and after just two years, he began to compete in wrestling tournaments all around his country.
Success seemed inevitable for the ONE athlete, but he admits that he could never have excelled at the tremendous rate he did without the support of his dad, who has been there throughout his martial arts journey.
Ramazanov followed his father’s way, which brought them closer
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“Wrestling brought us even closer. He attended all of my workouts, knew my opponents, went to competitions with me, and was my first coach at home. He was not strict: whenever I lost at sparring or a fight, he would just give me the reasons why I lost. He never scolded me,” the Dagestan Fighter and Evolve MMA representative said.
Ramazanov believes his wrestling career helped him form a tight bond with his father, which is something they share to this day. The Russian star may have moved on to other gyms to train alongside other world-class talents and coaches, but in his eyes, he still views his dad as the #1 influence in his life.
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“I owe my success to dad. He monitored my diet and physical preparation; his advice protected me from injury and helped me on my path in my amateur and professional career. He no longer goes to my workouts, but he watches all my opponents’ matches, and he still helps me with valuable and reliable advice,” Ramazanov added.
Fans in the U.S. and Canada can watch ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin live for free with an Amazon Prime subscription on Friday, December 2.