Huseyn Aliev didn’t always know his life’s path would lead him to be known as the “Azeri Warrior.”
“Surprisingly, I didn’t start actually with martial arts,” Aliev told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I started with soccer, and I was a soccer player, and eventually I found my way to MMA because I loved it. Slowly, slowly I got involved in mixed martial arts.”
Once the passion caught fire, though, Aliev went all in. Hailing from Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic that has yet to send an athlete to the UFC, Aliev decided he was going to be the one to take that honor.
“I decided to just kind of go outside of the box and start training overseas and go to different teams and different camps,” Aliev. “I went to Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand and also American Top Team. I went to Dagestan and trained with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dad. Eventually, I moved to Washington, D.C. and I trained at Kaizen MMA.”
But Aliev didn’t just train at Kaizen MMA – with the blessing of his coach, he actually moved into the gym to continue chasing his dream.
“I’ve lived in the gym the past two-and-a-half years,” Aliev said. “I don’t want to have a comfortable life. I like to be in the gym environment, so every day when I wake up, I remind myself of why I’m here.
“I can probably go and have a place, but I would rather be in the gym and have less expenses so I don’t have to worry about bills and focus more on training. A lot of fighters, when they have a luxury life, they get distracted. They want to have more. You want to have a nicer car or a better apartment, and then eventually they end up, you know, just working to pay bills. I want to just focus on training and not worry about anything else.”
Like many fighters around the globe, Aliev had his dreams delayed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He also struggled to find opponents willing to face him at 145 pounds after spending his early career at lightweight. When he finally did compete following three years outside of the cage, he ended up suffering a submission loss.
Aliev said it only served to strengthen his focus on the ultimate goal.
“I never drew back from my goal, and I was more motivated,” Aliev said. “It was more of a fire in me to get better. Some fighters need these kind of lessons to grow.
“I have a big goal and big dream. I could not give up on that. I want to represent the Azerbaijani community. I want to make them proud and be the pride of my region, so I just continued to push himself.”
This past September, Aliev (12-4-1) rebounded with a decision win over former Fury FC featherweight champion Cameron Graves. On Friday, he’ll challenge for the promotion’s vacant title when he takes on Andres Quintana (19-3) in the main event of Fury FC 57, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
With the fight taking place just outside of Houston one night before UFC 271, Aliev believes it’s a big moment in his career.
“I have a feeling that some people from UFC are going to be there,” Aliev said. “The relationship between Fury FC and UFC has always been very tight, and they have been one of the UFC feeders, and being the headliner of the fight is going to help me to get noticed. I’m very, very excited about that, and obviously I have a tough opponent, too. My opponent is coming with the same intention. It’s going to be a good opportunity for both of us.”
Aliev knows it takes impressive performances to catch the eyes of UFC brass, but that’s exactly what he’s planning to deliver. The goal remains singular, and he’s hoping to gain the pride of a nation.
“Since there’s nobody from Azerbaijan, from my country, in UFC, I am going to do everything in my power to get the win for you all,” Aliev said. “I look forward to a lot of support from people that know me – and even the people that don’t know me.”
Huseyn Aliev sacrificing all in hopes of becoming UFC’s first fighter from Azerbaijan