“They did not believe me” - Murad Ramazanov recalls how his parents reacted to his early MMA days

Undefeated Russian Murad Ramazanov is on the cusp of a ONE welterweight championship opportunity. To get there, he’ll need to go through the promotion’s latest blockbuster signee, Roberto Soldic. The two warriors will square off as part of the stacked ONE on Prime Video 5 card this Friday night in U.S. primetime.

Before the biggest bout of his career, Ramazanov spoke to ONE Championship about his early days in mixed martial arts, specifically the reaction of his parents:

“In general, my father supported me and believed in me, but there were times when I felt like they abandoned me. I don't blame them - I used to lose a lot. At the beginning, I asked dad not to come to MMA training with me - I wanted to learn everything on my own and see if I could do it.”

Trying to find his way into the world of MMA, Murad Ramazanov found himself competing multiple times per night, sometimes with nothing to show for it, but a heap of bruises and the experience:

“He understood, though it must have been hard for him. To gain experience I took part in many local competitions around 2014. We fought in remote villages, 5-6 fights per tournament that lasted sometimes until 3-4 a.m. There was no prize money sometimes, just a diploma, but knockouts were plentiful.”

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Murad Ramazanov’s mother was less than thrilled with his foray into MMA

While Murad Ramazanov’s father was fairly supportive of his leap into combat sports, his mother was significantly less enthused with his new career trajectory. Continuing his conversation with ONE Championship, Ramazanov said:

“My mother cried sometimes when I returned home with a forehead completely blue from punches. She would say: "Did you quit wrestling to be hit on the head like this?” My parents could not even understand what I was doing, they did not believe me, but I told them that I would achieve something.”

Murad Ramazanov added:

“It was hard to hear from them one day that maybe it was time to leave these dreams behind and get a normal job. Once they didn't give me money I needed for a competition, so I decided to get a job and pay for it myself. In the end, my mom called me and said she'd support me. It all went well in the end.”

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2, and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Watch Chael Sonnen break down the matchup below: