Sharabuddin Magomedov: 'I desperately wanted to fight in Baku — it's right next to home'

“I dreamed of performing in the capital of Azerbaijan back during the very first UFC tournament announced here.”

As 1news.az correspondent reports, Russian fighter Sharabuddin Magomedov, who became the winner of the fight at the UFC Fight Night tournament taking place at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, said this while answering journalists' questions.

While at training camp in the mountains, he tried to urgently contact the promotion's management through his manager.

“I told him then: ‘I desperately want to fight in Baku. It’s right next to home, and the Caspian Sea — that’s my sea.’

It didn’t work out then, but dreams have a way of coming true,” the athlete emphasized.

He also stressed that the presence of his family in Baku did not distract him from his preparation in any way, and his daughters showed remarkable understanding of the situation. Describing his routine on the day of the tournament, the fighter explained how important it is to conserve energy when the usual daily schedule changes dramatically, since after months of training and early nights one has to enter the octagon late at night.

“There comes a moment in every man’s life when he closes the door behind him and goes hunting. At that moment you leave your family behind for a while and become a predator. This mental switch is necessary, and his loved ones treated it with complete respect,” the fighter shared.

The athlete recounted that at the most critical moment, when the team was already entering the elevator, his youngest daughter suddenly ran up and loudly asked: “Dad, are you going to rehearsal?” According to the fighter, at that moment his entire team “just fell over laughing.”