Allamurad Karayev is just 20 years old but has broken out to become one of the Top 50 flyweights in the world despite only making his debut a year ago. Originally from Turkmenistan, the rising 125er is a student who has been studying in Kuala Lumpur for several years. He never set out to be a fighter, but when MMA competitions were introduced to Malaysia midway through last year Karayev could not resist the temptation to test his skills. He soon discovered that they made him more than a match for anyone at his weight in the country and he beat nine opponents in the space of just eight months.
Even more impressively all of his wins were by stoppage, more often than not with a right hook, and even the submissions were set up by Karayev first dropping his opponent with strikes. He is very confident in his stand-up and looks to land leather from the moment the opening bell sounds.
On June 23 he will be making a big step up both in terms of the scale of the show and the quality of opposition when he takes on Roldan Sancha’an at ONE Fighting Championship: Destiny of Warriors at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.
Sancha’an is a member of Team Lakay and trains alongside Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon and Rey Docyogen and has a 4-0 pro record, although none of those fights are listed. Training under legendary coach Mark Sangiao he is bound to be tough and promises to be the highest calibre opponent Karayev has ever faced.
With the UFC introducing a 125-pound division opportunities are rife and Karayev is hoping that he can establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in the ONE FC flyweight division, as he made clear in a conversation with Fighters.com.
You have fought all your career on small shows in Malaysia, are you nervous about fighting in front of 5,000+ people at Stadium Negara for ONE FC?
So far is it is okay. I am just really pumped but I don’t know, maybe I might be a lilt bit nervous at fight day. When I fight I only concentrate on my opponent so it shouldn’t make a difference whether there are 50 people there or 5,000. ONE FC is the biggest show in Asia and this will be my first time fighting for them so I won’t know how I feel until June 23. I am looking forward to it and I don’t think nerves will be a problem.
Roldan Sancha’an has a 4-0 pro record but there isn’t much online information about him, do you know what to expect?
I think he is tough guy. I expect good stand up and really good stamina and endurance. Team Lakay guys are tough and I expect a tough fight.
You are ranked top 50 in the world at your weight, did you ever think that you would progress so quickly and would you like to try and work your way up the rankings and maybe reach the top?
To be honest no I didn’t expect that I’d get a ranking so fast. Of course like any athlete I want to be at the top.
Will a lot of people from your university be at the show?
Yes for sure. It’s in Kuala Lumpur where I have lived for a long time and I am sure a lot of people will come to support me, not only from my university.
How do you fit your training around your studies?
I finished my exams last week so the last two weeks I can train full time. I’ll try to push myself to my max this last few weeks
How would you describe your fighting style?
My style? Hmmm… MMA striker with Sambo background but nowadays I train a lot on my ground game.
Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced?
The toughest guy I think was a Bokatar guy from Cambodia I fought him in the finalof Mayhem 2 which was the first professional competition I ever took part in. He was tough but I caught him and submitted him.
Are you hoping to fight many times for ONE FC this year?
I hope to fight twice more this year but it all depends on my performance. If I perform good in my next fight then I am hoping to fight at least one more times before the end of the year.
Have you watched any of the other flyweights in the division like Andrew Leone or Rey Docyogen and would you like to fight them?
Yeah I watched and both of the guys are really good and yes I would like to fight them one day. I know what is good level and what is my level now and I think I still need a little bit of time but it all depends on my performance on June 23. If I do good then for sure really soon I would like to fight A level guys like Leone or Docyogen.
Do you have to cut much weight to get down to 125 pounds?
Around 6 kilograms.
How often do you train and who do you train with?
I train two times a day. Currently my BJJ coaches are Professor Suyan and Luc Doberman, my striking coach is Piotr Lieb and my wrestling is Matt Pellino but of course my teammates like Eric Kelly, Arnaud Lepont and Peter Davis also helping me a lot with my training.
The UFC recently opened up the flyweight division, would you like to fight for them one day?
I think a dream of every MMA fighter is to fight at least once in UFC. Yes I would love to but I am proud and happy to be fighting for the biggest promotion in Asia and to know that people in Malaysia will be able to watch my fights on ESPN Star and Astro Supersport.
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