Makhmud Muradov

Makhmud Muradov is a Tajik-born, Uzbek and Czech-rooted middleweight whose path to fighting reads like survival fiction. Forced to work from age 15 after his father's disability, Muradov labored in construction, security, and nightclubs across Russia and Eastern Europe while competing in regional MMA circuits. After signing with Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Money Team in 2018, he made his UFC debut on short notice in September 2019 against Alessio Di Chirico and won via unanimous decision. His next two fights cemented his reputation as a finish machine: back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses for knockout wins over Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez, earning him ranking as the UFC's seventh-best newcomer in 2019.

Muradov fights with unrelenting forward pressure, using heavy hands, clinch control, and occasional wrestling to control opponents. His striking is accurate and high-volume, landing 91% of his distance strikes and finishing 17 of his 26 wins by knockout. After losses to Gerald Meerschaert (submission, 2021) and Caio Borralho (decision, 2022) slowed his UFC rise, injuries and a rebound decision over Bryan Barberena in 2023 preceded his release from the promotion in May 2024. He rejoined Oktagon MMA that summer and has won his last two bouts, securing an interim middleweight title shot against Patrik Kincl scheduled for June 2025.

What makes Muradov compelling to fans is not only his exciting style and finishing rate but his unshakeable loyalty to Prague and the Czech Republic, where he has trained since 2011 and calls his adopted home despite Mayweather's offers to relocate him to Las Vegas. He remains a fixture on the European circuit and a symbol of a fighter who built his career on grit, resilience, and consistent forward motion rather than hype.