Athletes
Muhammad Naimov: Timing Is Everything
Dana White’s Contender Series Alum Talks Path To UFC, Successful Rookie Campaign Ahead Of 2024 Debut in Mexico City
Muhammad Naimov competed on the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, taking a short notice fight against fellow Denver-area featherweight Collin Anglin where he battled hard, but landed on the wrong side of the results.
Five months later, he suffered a similar fate in a battle for the vacant Titan FC featherweight title. The loss to Anglin was the first of his career, and now, after a 5-0 start, he’d dropped consecutive contests and was questioning his future in the sport.
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“After two losses, I felt a little emotional — I was losing myself, losing my focus,” recalled Naimov, who returns to action this weekend against Erik Silva, searching for this third straight UFC victory. “I thought ‘I can never be in the UFC.’ But thanks to Cory Sandhagen — my brother, my teammate, my coach — who was in my corner at that moment, he told me, ‘Muhammad, you have to wait for your time; your time will come. You train hard, you’re learning every day, you’re getting better every day. I like the way you train, I like the way you fight — you just have to wait for your time; it will come.’
“Thanks, Cory, for this moment.”
Sandhagen was speaking from experience.
Towards the end of 2016, a picture of the Elevation Fight Team bantamweight made its way around social media: Sandhagen surrounded by UFC veterans Matt Brown, TJ Dillashaw, Curtis Blaydes, Neil Magny, Brandon Thatch, Drew Dober, and Bojan Velickovic, all of whom were pointing at their promising teammate. The caption read something to the effect of “Everyone knows Cory Sandhagen is ready for the next level.”
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He was 5-0 at the time, lost his next fight to current UFC featherweight Jamal Emmers, and would have to wait until the start of 2018 in order to join his teammates on the UFC roster.
“What was funny about it is that Cory did the same thing other guys did to him,” Naimov said, laughing as we discussed the picture. “He always talked about me in the media.
“You don’t have to have an ego,” he added. “You have to help your teammates. You show up for your teammate because both of you have to get better, not only one. If it’s ‘me, me, me,’ one day you will break and not have anyone that supports you.
“You have to love your teammates, respect everything, and show up for your teammates.”
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Just as Sandhagen eventually touched down in the Octagon, Naimov finally got his opportunity last June when he tagged in on short notice, up a division, against Jamie Mullarkey in Las Vegas, and he made the absolute most of it, knocking out the Australian veteran in the second round to make everyone sit up and take notice.
Four months later, he returned to his natural featherweight surroundings in Abu Dhabi, getting the better of Nathaniel Wood in a competitive, close battle that established him as a genuine person of interest moving forward.
After biding his time and heeding Sandhagen’s words, a four-month whirlwind left Naimov 2-0 in the UFC, one of the top newcomers of 2023, and poised to make more noise in the featherweight division this coming year.
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“First of all, Alhamdulillah — thank God for everything that is happening in my life; my dream becomes true,” began the 29-year-old from Tajikistan. “First fight with Jamie Mullarkey and second fight with Nathaniel Wood — both were big fights for me. Both guys were very tough, and I passed both of them.
“I’m enjoying this moment right now,” he added, his smile growing wider. “I like this moment. I like to be in fight week, cutting weight. I’m doing what I love. I’m enjoying this moment. Thank God for everything.”
For the ascending “Hillman,” the timing of Saturday’s bout with Silva is what mattered the most, as he not only gets to maintain the “fight every four months” schedule he’s building since his promotional debut, but he also competes prior to the commencement of Ramadan.
“To be honest, I want to fight every three months, but I asked UFC and they gave it to me like this,” said Naimov, laughing. “I really pushed the UFC to get a fight before Ramadan — March 10th it starts, it’s one month — and I told (UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby), ‘Please just get me a fight before Ramadan.’ After Ramadan, I’m going to fight right away.
"Always whoever, whenever, wherever; it doesn’t matter who is the opponent,” he answered when asked about the pairing with Silva. “I have one goal, and the goal is gold. I don’t care who. I need a win streak to get to my goal.”
At present, Naimov is on a five-fight winning streak, having enjoyed nothing but success since his conversation with Sandhagen following his second career defeat, combining the approaches taken in the two regions where he splits his time training to forge the best version of himself.
“Let me tell you a little about Russia and America,” began Naimov, who spent a portion of his camp in Vladikavaz, in the North Caucasus region, in addition to working in Denver. “In America, I pay attention — they work really smart, they train really smart. In Russia, they’re killing themselves in training; they’re killing themselves. They train two hours, non-stop, morning and night. Americans train smarter — they hold themselves from hard training, but train with game plans and all this stuff.
“Right now, I’m putting hard with smart and it’s coming like this,” he said, making a fist with each hand and bringing them together. “I have a little bit of U.S.A. and a little bit of the other, and I put them together, and it’s showing in these fights.”
It most certainly has, and he fully intends to show even more this weekend in Mexico City.
“I will do everything. I put everything on this fight; it’s going to 100 percent,” Naimov said excitedly. “I will bring the best Muhammad on Saturday night — best mental game, best striker and wrestler and grappler.
“It’s going to be a big surprise for the UFC. I’m about to shock the world, inshallah.”
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico on February 24, 2024. See the Prelims / Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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