Athletes
Bogdan Grad | Eager To Impress
Featherweight Dissects ‘Nearly Perfect’ Debut Ahead Of Intriguing Clash With Muhammad Naimov
Like a lot of young men, Bogdan Grad grew up believing that he was not allowed to be scared, because if you’re scared, you’re weak, and men are not supposed to be weak.
The 29-year-old carried that mindset with him into his first appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, and credits his first-round knockout loss to fellow UFC competitor Tom Nolan for helping him detach from that way of thinking.
“When I went the first time in 2023, my mindset was ‘I’m gonna win this; 100 percent I’m gonna win,’” began Grad, who makes his second appearance of the year this weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan opposite Muhammad Naimov in the opening bout of Saturday’s six-fight main card. “I also tried to be a little bit of a showman, like Conor McGregor, and I’m not like that; I’m a humble human being, a nice guy.
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“That was a great lesson for me, that Tom Nolan knocked me out,” he continued with a smile. “I learned through this experience that I can allow my emotions to be there. I grew up with the mindset that, as a man, you’re not allowed to be scared, and if you’re scared, you are weak, and I accepted that, as a man, we can have emotions, and that is completely normal.
“Georges St-Pierre said he was scared for his life before the fights, and he performed, so it’s completely normal.”
The French-Canadian icon definitely performed, and so too has Grad since that fateful first trek to Las Vegas in the summer of 2023.
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Following the setback, he hustled back into he cage in November, earning a second-round stoppage win under the Cage Fighting Series banner, returning to the promotion in March and claiming a first-round submission win to garner another opportunity to compete on the Contender Series, where he faced off with Michael Aswell. Engaging in one of the most competitive fights to ever transpire on the annual talent search series, Grad landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict, garnering a contract and an opportunity to compete in the UFC.
In February, the Romanian-born fighter, who resides and fights out of Austria, ventured to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, facing off with dangerous Brazilian striker Lucas Alexander in his promotional debut.
“I nearly felt that I’m living my dream,” Grad said of his first foray into the Octagon, which resulted in a second-round stoppage win over the Fusion X-Cel representative. “I say nearly because I had a lot of pressure.
“I wanted to win; I wanted to win my debut fight so much. Lucas Alexander was 1-2 in the UFC, but this guy had over 100 kickboxing fights, and he lost to Joanderson Brito, who is a killer, (so) there was pressure. If I didn’t win, who knows what is going to happen in the future? Nobody is saying, ‘You have your contract; you can’t get out of the UFC.’
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“That pressure got into me, but I accepted it for the first time, and I performed okay; it was fine,” he said with a chuckle. “I think I can do much better. When we watch my footage from training, it’s completely different, but it was a successful debut, and I’m very proud of it, and very thankful to the UFC for the opportunity and for the bonus.”
Grad admitted that he was impacted by the usual assortment of jitters that accompany competing on the biggest stage in the sport for the first time that evening in Riyadh, but also acknowledged a deeper concern that lingered and limited his performance.
“Everything you mentioned is a part of it, and I was afraid of losing my job and my debut at the same time,” he said, voicing a worry that not many athletes are comfortable admitting, but is certainly something that runs through the mind of every aspiring competitor when they first touch down in the UFC.
So many hours have been committed to reaching this stage, getting to a point where you get to make the walk to the Octagon, so it only makes sense that there is a tinge of worry about getting to stick around for more than a fight or two that can creep into a fighter’s mind in those early days on the roster.
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“Now that I won the first fight, I accomplished my dream,” continued Grad, who pushed his winning streak to four and his record to 15-2 overall with his stoppage win over Alexander. “My dream was to get into the UFC, get a win there, and I accomplished that, so now everything is a bonus.
“Of course, I want to get to the top, I want to be champion at featherweight, but my dream is fulfilled,” he added. “Now I don’t have any pressure on my shoulders; I am so loose, so relaxed, and I think this is gonna let me perform at my fullest… or at least better than last time.”
He gets the chance to level up his performance on Saturday, when he faces off with Naimov, who has amassed a 4-1 record inside the Octagon, most recently earning a unanimous decision win over Kaan Ofli on that same February 1st fight card in Riyadh where Grad debuted.
Extremely popular in his native Tajikistan, the 30-year-old Naimov made a splash when he first touched down in the UFC, upsetting Australian veteran Jamie Mullarkey up a division before retuning to featherweight and garnering wins over Nathaniel Wood and Erick Silva to establish himself as a fixture in the “Second 15” of the 145-pound weight class.
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As such, this weekend’s matchup profiles as a considerable step up in competition for the DWCS alum, who understands why audiences and oddsmakers are underestimating him heading into this fight.
And he is looking forward to changing their minds.
“I understand why they underestimate me,” said Grad when asked about a comment he made to the UFC digital team earlier in the week where he stated, “Everybody is going to learn who Bogdan Grad is and they’re not going to count me out any more.”
“When they watch my fights — for example, in the Lucas Alexander fight, I used the Ramon Dekkers guard, and I was stiff in the middle, didn’t have any head movement, and it looks like that’s it; that that is what I’m able to do. The people aren’t seeing what I’m doing in the gym — it’s just me and my team that know what I am really capable of.
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“Naimov is 4-1 in the UFC; he is very good, he has a big fan base, and it looks like the newcomer that is 1-0 has no chance against this guy,” he continued. “But if I beat him, and I believe so, a lot of people are gonna watch me and be like, ‘This guy is not a joke anymore.’”
When asked how he sees the fight playing out and what an ideal outcome for him would be against the favored “Hillman” on Saturday, Grad said that his preference would be another second-round finish.
Bogdan Grad Fight Week Interview | UFC Baku
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Bogdan Grad Fight Week Interview | UFC Baku
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Why a second-round finish and not a quick, 30-second win?
“Second-round finish is perfect because I want to give the people something to see; I want to entertain the crowd, and I want to show what I am really capable of,” he said with an expanding grin. “I enjoy it in the cage, I enjoy fighting, so first round, he can hit me, he can cut me, he can do whatever he wants, and second round, there is gonna be what I want.
“I’m fine with three rounds and a war, finish the opponent in the last moment is also good,” he added. “Then there is the opportunity to get two bonuses.”
UFC Fight Night: Hill vs Rountree Jr. took place live from Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 21, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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