Simple Motivations for Murad Ramazanov

Murad Ramazanov was 12-0 as a pro, until he suffered his first career loss in a second-round knockout to Shamil Musaev during the Professional Fighters League regular season in June. Ramazanov will now get a unique opportunity to exact his revenge in his next fight, thanks to the PFL format and its playoff system. Their rematch in the welterweight semifinals serves as one of the highlights of PFL 9 this Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

When it comes to his first fight against Musaev, Ramazanov makes no excuses but acknowledges there were factors that hindered his performance.

“There were certain reasons why things didn’t go my way,” he told Sherdog.com. “I analyzed everything, and we’ve been working, improving and fixing things. This time, we had a great camp with all the corrections, all the things that could go the right way. This time, I’m more prepared.”

Though he admits to mixed feelings about the PFL setup, Ramazanov claims to be in a positive place mentally because of the chance for an immediate rematch. It gives him a shot to punch his ticket to the welterweight final and a crack at a $1 million payday.

“There are certain upsides and downsides to the PFL format,” Ramazanov said. “As you can see, I’m in a good mood, and it’s exactly for that reason. I have a rematch coming. I had a great camp. I have motivation. There is a goal. If I didn’t have this opportunity, I don’t know how upset I’d be and devastated, but right now, I have the perfect opportunity for this rematch.”

Ramazanov believes this to be a pivotal mile marker in his career.

“It’s very crucial to me right now,” he said. “This is all I do 24/7. I train, I sleep, I stick to my regimen. That’s exactly what I live by to get this rematch, move on and become champion. That’s very important. All my previous training leads to that. I want to become a champion. That’s my clear goal ahead of me.”

As for what to expect in the rematch, Ramazanov thinks his desire to even the score with Musaev will lead to a compelling second encounter between them.

“I think it’s going to be an interesting fight simply because I’m so motivated,” he said. “It’s a rematch. It was my first loss. We were both undefeated, and with all that happened, he ruined my record. That’s my goal now—to do the same to him. There’s a story to it, and I’m going to be highly motivated to get the victory myself.”