I’m neutral when it comes to MMA fights. I’m neither a hardcore fan nor a staunch opponent. Nevertheless, I wasn’t sure what to expect from meeting one of the top fighters, Makhmud Muradov. And it brought me closer to being a fan. He responded quickly, honestly, thoughtfully. But I wouldn’t want to arm wrestle with him for anything.
When you left the UFC, you had offers from several other promotions. Poland’s KSW was very interested and offered decent terms. What ultimately made you choose the Czech Oktagon?
Yes, I had several options, including KSW, ONE FC, PFL, and others. But I want to fight at home, and I know I made the right decision. When I transferred from Oktagon to the UFC back then, Oktagon was at a different level. Now it’s been elevated. Even after leaving, I attended Oktagon tournaments as a fan, and now I look forward to competing in it once again. It’s true that the other promotions I mentioned often offered better financial terms, but I no longer want to spend most of my time traveling around the world.
I want to fight at home, and besides, I have a great relationship with Ondra and Paľo (Editor’s note: Ondřej Novotný and Pavol Neruda, the founders and owners of Oktagon).
There is a lot of speculation about your possible duel with Patrik Kincl, which would be a title fight shortly after your return to Oktagon...
There are more guys I could fight. I’ll leave it to the promoters to decide who and when I’ll fight. But yes, a fight with Patrik is intriguing. We were supposed to fight once before, but it didn’t happen. Since then, we’ve both progressed, and I respect him as a fighter. But we have unfinished business, and he has the belt that I am after. I want to fight my way towards a shot at the title.
With Karlos Vémola.
How long do you need to prepare for a real fight?
I have a lot of activities in Uzbekistan now, and I need two to three months to properly prepare for a fight. But I really need to just work hard and do nothing else. Of course, I train every day even now, but preparing for a fight is different – a completely different level of concentration, different sparring partners, and so on.
Is your protracted battle with the Czech authorities regarding your permanent residence still ongoing?
I’ve been waiting since 2016 and I really don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t know what’s holding it up; maybe someone higher up doesn’t like me. If they told me, “You did this and that, and that’s why you won’t get it,” I would accept that. But I know I’m not causing any problems; I came here years ago as an athlete, I work here, I fight here, I have a daughter who is a Czech citizen. It’s really a shame what the authorities are doing; it’s not fair treatment.
With Ondřej Novotný, founder and co-owner of Oktagon.
You use the term “home” to refer to Czechia quite naturally. So, do you feel like you put down your roots here?
Sometimes. But at least seventy percent of me feels at home in Czechia. I have a daughter here, many friends, a girlfriend, my job – I feel good here. So yes, I’m at home here. It’s clear that Uzbekistan is also home, but when I say “home,” I mean Czechia.
CV BOX
Makhmud Muradov (born February 8, 1990, in Dushanbe) is a professional mixed martial artist (MMA) and former kickboxer and sambo practitioner.
He came to Czechia in 2011. He started his professional MMA career in 2012, and seven years later became the first Uzbek fighter to sign a contract with the UFC.
In the past, he was the middleweight champion of several Czech MMA promotions. Overall, he has had 35 fights, with 26 victories. His home gym is Prague’s Monster Gym.
In 2020, he and singer Monika Bagárová had a daughter, Rumia. He now lives with his girlfriend, Sabina.
