UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For the American masses, his name is both unfamiliar and a bit hard to pronounce, but that’s all perfectly normal for Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
He’s used to audiences not knowing who he is and accustomed to being the only high-profile Turkmenistani fighter competing for a major promotion at the moment. He likes it this way because it usually means two things.
One, he’s going to surprise people, gain fans, move on, and repeat. Second, he will carry the Turkmenistan flag further into the international limelight.
“It’s not the first time that I’m the dark horse in the organization and promotion,” Yagshimuradov told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “That was the story of my career. I was the dark horse. Nobody believed in me. Experience showed that we can change that in a couple of fights. Everybody will recognize who I am.”
Yagshimuradov (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) plans on letting his fists, kicks, and grappling abilities serve as an introduction to his in-cage skills, Friday when he takes on Corey Anderson in a light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal bout at Bellator 257.
As far as out-of-the-cage accomplishments go, Yagshimuradov isn’t just a fighter. He has multiple college degrees – one in economics and one in law. While he’s never practiced either of those and has committed (mostly) to MMA, Yagshimuradov revealed he runs a successful business on the side, too.
For those unfamiliar, Turkmenistan, also known as Turkmenia, is located between Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and the Caspian Sea. In 2020, the population was an estimated 6 million.
In his native country, Yagshimuradov is a bit of an anomaly competing on the world stage, largely due to the fact MMA has not been legalized in Turkmenistan. As a result, he usually spends his training camps in Ukraine.
“I’m representing Turkmenistan, but unfortunately, MMA is not even in a sport in Turkmenistan,” Yagshimuradov said. “It’s illegal, so it’s not popular at all in Turkmenistan, you know? But people who are following MMA and are watching the fights from around the world, they know who I am. They follow and support me from Turkmenistan.”
In 2018, Yagshimuradov won the ACA light heavyweight championship, which he would later defend twice. Throughout his ACA career he was labeled as the first Turkmenistan superstar and went on to become champion. He plans to repeat that success in Bellator and the journey begins Friday.
“All of my career I’ve been a headliner as the fighter from Turkmenistan because we don’t have many MMA fighters,” Yagshimuradov said. “I don’t think we have any at all. In every organization, I was the first guy from Turkmenistan that was in that organization. That was the same thing in ACA and now in Bellator MMA. I’m the first guy from Turkmenistan, so I’m like a flagman for Turkmenistan.”
What should you expect to see at Bellator 257 if you’ve never seen a Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov fight before? Well, Yagshimuradov wants that to remain on the down-low for now. The big reveal will come against Anderson (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).
“I’m going to keep my plan a secret, but one thing I can say is my fight is not going to be boring,” Yagshimuradov said. “It’s going to be an exciting fight – and you will see that.”
Bellator 257 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Meet Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov: Bellator’s Turkmenistan flagman and grand prix dark horse
