Athletes
Nazim Sadykhov: 'Enjoy The Show'
Following An Epic Win At Home In Baku, Nazim Sadykhov Promises Fans The Best Is Yet To Come
It was something straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Nazim Sadykhov, fighting in his home country of Azerbaijan for the first time, comes close to getting stopped by Brazilian banger Nikolas Motta before roaring back, halting Motta in the second round and soaking in the cheers of the crowd after the biggest fight of his life.
Oh yeah, and he picked up a $100k bonus, too.
And this was not Hollywood; this was real.
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“The reaction from the world has been crazy,” said Sadykhov just days after the June 21st bout, which lifted his UFC record to 4-0-1. He was still in Baku, celebrating his victory with his family, friends and team, and for a young man who was largely flying under the radar, despite his unbeaten UFC slate, life had changed for the better in the space of nine minutes and 17 seconds.
Nazim Sadykhov Octagon Interview | UFC Baku
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Nazim Sadykhov Octagon Interview | UFC Baku
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“Everything has changed, for sure, but this is not something unexpected,” said Sadykhov. “I knew this about myself. I knew I was capable of this. And even though I'm getting finishes and wins, the frustration of former fights comes from people not seeing this. But it's okay, because that's what this game is about. You do it once, you do it twice, you do it three times. They don't see it on the third time, but they'll see it on the fourth; if not the fourth, then the fifth. So eventually they will see who you are. And I've been trying to show the world who I am from the moment I stepped foot in the UFC Octagon. But now, after Saturday night, the world finally sees it and they're going to be looking forward to more. And that was my goal the entire time. So stay tuned because it's just getting started.”
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You always want to see people get what they deserve, especially after a long spell of paying dues, and Sadykhov fit that bill perfectly. Born in Russia, raised in Azebaijan, and raised as a fighter in Brooklyn, New York, Sadykhov never was one to seek out attention or make a lot of noise. He was content to put in the work and let his performances speak for themselves. And while scoring UFC wins over Evan Elder, Terrance McKinney and Ismael Bonfim were impressive, there wasn’t that sit up and take notice win yet.
Then came the chance to compete in Baku, and while the stylistic matchup with Motta promised fireworks, you never know until the gate closes if the fight on paper turns into a real fight.
This one did, and the two lightweight prospects immediately went to work. Soon, Motta tagged Sadykhov and hurt him, and the Brazilian emptied his tank firing on the hometown hero. Sadykhov blocked a lot of the incoming blows, but enough got him to have him perilously close to a stoppage until he wasn’t, and then the “Black Wolf” fired back. It was epic stuff, and Sadykhov knew it was something special.
“I definitely knew that we were having a nice tough scrap,” he said. “But I didn't know how good it looked exactly, and I didn't know to what level. The fight was good, and I knew that it was a back-and-forth. He had a moment, I fired back and the crowd's reaction said it all. So I knew we were having a good fight. I just didn't know it was to that caliber where it's a Fight of the Year candidate.”
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After that hellacious first round, both fighters reloaded and got back after it, but this time, it was Sadykhov taking over, and at 4:17 of the second round, the fight was over. Sadykhov had won. It was his 11th win as a pro and his fourth as a member of the UFC roster, but this one hit different than all the others. Why? There could be any number of reasons why this fight connected, and one of them might be that this was a perfect example of what MMA is. Both fighters showed up ready to throw down, they fought like bitter enemies, then embraced and respected each other when it was all over.
“If you had to think of a fight to show your friends in 2025, explain the storyline real quick,” said Sadykhov. “Right before you turn on the fight, you tell them, ‘Hey, there's this kid from Azerbaijan; he's from Brooklyn, but he reps his homeland. Now he went back to his homeland with the UFC, and he’s fighting Nikolas Motta, who's a stud puncher from Brazil. You tell them the whole backstory and you turn on that fight. I think anybody is going to be drawn into the sport after that. And from the comments and the feedback that I see from the fans and the people worldwide having watched that fight, a lot of people are like, Nazim, I don't even watch fighting like that, but now I’m an MMA fan or I'm now a Nazim fan. I'm going to be watching all of your fights now. These are the things that I've been hearing since the fight, and that's exactly what I strive for. I literally strive to be that kind of fighter that is appreciated by fans. So, outside of the cage, I try to carry myself well, but inside the cage, I just want the fans to enjoy the show.”
They did. And there’s more to come.