Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev (14-4-1, 1NC) is set to battle against 22-year-old Australian Jordan Lucas (8-1) on the main card of ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS, which takes place on Friday 7 October at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.
The bout is set for three rounds in the bantamweight division, and will likely determine Saadulaev’s future in the organization’s rankings.
“Lucas is a great striker,” acknowledges Saadulaev, who also admits that his opponent’s young age could be an advantage. “He is nine years younger, he is eager, and he is strong. I will have to be vigilant throughout the fight.”
Hailing from Dagestan, a mountainous region on the southern border of Russia, Saadulaev has warriors’ blood in his veins. Despite a population of just 2.9 million, the country is well-known for sporting achievements — especially in the fields of wrestling and MMA.
ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov and K-1 WAKO Pro champion Datsi Datsiev all come from small villages and towns in Dagestan, as well as Abdulrashid Sadulaev, the world’s best pound-for-pound wrestler alive.
“Wresting is a national sport in Dagestan,” explains Saadulaev. “Wrestlers are very respected in the community, and every father wants his son to do well in this sport.”
Saadulaev is, however, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, holding a black belt in the submission discipline.
“The elder generation definitely prefers wrestling to BJJ and looks down at the Brazilian sport, but the situation is changing,” says Yusup. He admits that wherever he fights, he always feels the support of the Dagestan community and his friends and family.
“It is always easier for me to fight in Russia, because I do not need to get acclimatised, there is no jet-leg, and the support of the fans is amazing,” he says. “But ONE Championship’s shows are amazing, so I was extremely happy to get signed in 2012, and my goal is a belt.”
However, with three losses in the ONE cage, he will have to work hard to achieve his goal. The competition in his weight class is also very strong with fighters the likes of ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, Kevin Belingon, and Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov. Belingon and Gafurov are also on the Yangon card.
Saadulaev’s recent three-fight winning streak, with two of these outside the ONE Championship cage, makes him feel a lot more confident about the forthcoming bout than back in 2012, when the athlete first arrived in ONE.
The Russian had a rocky start in Asia’s biggest promotion with two consecutive losses, one via unanimous decision and another via TKO. With his future on the line, he had to work hard to not to fall into depression. “ I tried to snap myself out of that negative field of emotions, started training harder,” confessed Saadulaev. “And it paid off — in May 2013, I came back with a victory after defeating Ryan Diaz via submission.”
He claims that his coaching career stood in the way of winning those early fights saying: “I got too excited about my coaching job and did not spend enough time training. That was unprofessional of me.”
They say that every defeat is an opportunity for growth, and those losses were great lessons for Saadulaev.
“I learnt that every opponent and every fight, however easy sometimes it might be perceived, must be treated seriously,” said “Maestro” resolutely on what he took away from defeat. “I push 100 per cent through my fight camps now, admitting that anything can happen in the cage, and I have to be prepared. In Dagestan, we are warriors. It is not in our character to back off.”
Saadulaev has been polishing his craft in Moscow at the Fight Nights gym, where he has access to some of the best sparring partners in his weight class.
“I have been teaching less and sparring more, because now I look upon MMA as my job. It is more than a job, actually, it is a way of life,” confesses the BJJ black belt. “I love Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but MMA is a true passion of mine, because it gives me an opportunity to fight both standing up and on the ground, and allows me to develop as a well-rounded athlete.”
Not one to mince words, Saadulaev also had a few choice words regarding his upcoming opponent in Jordan Lucas.
“All that I want to say, I will say inside the cage on 7 October,” stated Saadulaev. “I will do my best for the fight to be an exciting one. People expect me to try and take it to the ground as soon as possible, but I am ready to exchange punches with this guy. I hope he trained hard.”
