Athletes
The Mission Continues For Unshakeable Ramiz Brahimaj
Welterweight Talks Mindset, Momentum Ahead Of UFC 330 Assignment
There is something infectious about the way Ramiz Brahimaj knows himself, believes in himself, and is completely unbothered by what anyone other than those he knows and respects feel about him.
Where many of us claim not to care what others think and perform being rock-steady in how we feel about ourselves, Brahimaj slides through life wearing a smile and saying very little; until he gets around people, he’s comfortable with, and then the floodgates open.
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Endlessly positive and someone who genuinely doesn’t mind being doubted or criticized, the 33-year-old from The Bronx returns to action this weekend at UFC 330, looking to get things moving in the right direction again after having his three-fight winning streak snapped in February by Punahele Soriano.
“Absolutely no confidence has been lost,” began Brahimaj, who faces welterweight wins leader Neil Magny on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. “Call me crazy, say whatever you want — I left that venue and knew that it was a close fight, and it was a battle that I’m proud of. I couldn’t have shared the Octagon with a better competitor than Puna, who is a guy I have the utmost respect for and the utmost love for, going into the fight and leaving the fight. It showed that not only do I belong at the top, but Puna does as well. We fought tooth-and-f***ing-nail.
“My mom at the time told me, ‘I’m proud of you. The way that you’ve been handling everything, I would have never thought that you fought or lost at all; it’s like you didn’t lose any momentum, any steam.’”
Brahimaj paused and smiled.
“It was the same conversation I had with my coaching staff, same conversation I had with my manager, and to tell you the truth — you know me, brother: I’ve been through way worse. I cannot be held down, and I will not be held down. Like I said, in my eyes, that was a great fight, that was a very close fight, and me and Puna belong.”
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Some will suggest that is simply a fighter coming off a loss propping up the individual that beat him and trying to elevate his own stock in the process, but what has transpired in the four fights since Soriano has moved to welterweight helps affirm the position Brahimaj is arguing.
The former middleweight has gone 4-0 since making the move in 2024, including opening last year with a 31-second knockout win over Uros Medic, who in turn has posted four straight first-round finishes of his own to climb to No. 12 in the Meta rankings and No. 10 in the media rankings in the 170-pound weight class. The inexactness of MMA math notwithstanding, losing to a competitive decision to someone on a heater has only served as confirmation to Brahimaj that he’s doing the right things and in the right place as he readies to step back into the fire on Saturday night.
“Sometimes when these things happen, in the moment, you’re like ‘Why? Why? Why?’ but as time starts to go by, you realize, ‘Everything is working out the way that it’s working out, and it’s brought me to this point,’” Brahimaj said. “As cliché as it sounds, this has been an amazing camp and the amount of obstacles and hurdles that I’ve had to overcome since the beginning of the year has given me solace. I feel so good; I really do. I feel very dangerous. I feel like I’m in a great place and I’m going to do something special on Saturday. I truly, in my heart-of-hearts, feel that.
“I have another great dance partner in front of me; I have a well-established name — a guy that I have watched several times in the past. It’s an honor to share the cage with him, but make no mistake about it — it’s my time. That’s the only thing I can think, that’s the only thing I can feel, and that is the only thing that is constantly replaying in my head.”
Critics and doubters will say that Brahimaj said the same things heading into his fight with Soriano, and indeed, he and I talked at great length about how he believed he had a date with destiny at the Toyota Center in Houston and how things were absolutely going to go his way.
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But the reason some people fixate on what was previously said and how that should somehow take away from what Brahimaj is thinking and feeling now as he makes his 10th appearance inside the Octagon is that some people aren’t tethered to outcomes or weighed down by the difficult moments that they encountered in the past; they aren’t deterred by challenges or obstacles, and their confidence and self-belief truly never wavers.
“I’m not defined by any of that,” he said. “I’m defined by the fact that I’ve gotten up, and I’m even in this position to have my 10th fight in the UFC, against Neil Magny. It’s Matthew McConaughey that said it, ‘You just gotta keep livin’, man —L-I-V-I-N!’ and that’s all it is! I’m living in the moment.
“No loss, no nothing — I’m defined by the man that I am, who keeps coming back, who doesn’t take no for an answer. Maybe there is something wrong with me, maybe I am crazy — that’s perfectly fine by me — but that level of belief and craziness is what has taken me to this level here, and what’s gonna propel me to new heights come August 15.”
Before I began to respond and continue the conversation, Brahimaj asked me to wait while he searched for a quote he wanted to share, believing it summed things up perfectly.
“I love this quote,” he said before sharing Epictecus’ words. “‘If your identity can be inflated by praise, it can be shattered by criticism; neither deserves that authority.’”
He smiled, adding, “It’s as simple as that. Criticism and praise come from the same place.”
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While others may not capable of delivering a dominant performance this weekend against Magny or on a path towards the top of the welterweight division, none of that matters to the United States Army veteran; he believes, fully, as do the people around him, and that is all he needs to march out to the Octagon on Saturday night and once again compete to the best of his abilities, confident that it will result in a brilliant performance that keeps him moving forward with real momentum.
“I feel that Philadelphia is in store for a tremendous performance, and with my charisma, with every single thing that is behind me right now, I truly feel like it’s gonna be another coming out party,” Brahimaj said. “I feel like I lost no momentum, I’m trending in the right direction, and I feel like a spectacular performance, a statement performance — which I have every intention of delivering on August 15 —puts me in a great position.
“It starts with Neil Magny, and it’s gonna continue on after that. I’m feelin’ it, man.”
UFC 330: Makhachev vs Machado Garry took place live from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 15, 2026. 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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