1 on 1 with Naurdiev
There are not a lot of 19 year olds that have so much MMA experience like Ismail Naurdiev from Austria. He debuted in 2013 when we was just 16 and immediately started winning. He’s 7-1 since turning pro and in just more than 2 weeks he’ll be making his WFC debut appearance in Austria.
WFC: Ismail, how did all started with your career and turning professional at such a young age?
Naurdiev: I started with the MMA when I was 16 years old. Before that I trained wrestling. One day I saw an MMA fight on the TV with Tito Ortiz fighting Chuck Lidell when I was just 11 years old. It was my first contact with the MMA and it inspired me so much that I knew from that moment on what I’ll do in my life. So I guess I have to thank Tito for my career (laughing).
WFC: From Austria to Sweden (Naurdiev is an active member of the Allstars gym from Sweden). How did that happen?
Naurdiev: Here at Allstar gym everything is perfect. We train every day 2-times and on Saturday’s we have cardio training, we run to the mountains etc. When I finished my education I thought that I will be here more often but it’s hard to manage everything with work. So I am not here as often I would like to be. It makes me sad, but I am working hard on making my dreams a reality.
WFC: You are very young but at the same time you have fought 8 times already. What are some of the best moments of your career?
Naurdiev: Probably one of my early career fights. I fought versus a very good fighter, I was 17 years old and I took the fight on a short notice only 1 week before the event. He didn’t came to the weigh-in, the first time that I’ve seen him was 10 minutes before the fight. He surely wasn’t a welterweight but what could I do? My father was in the attendance, I had to win. And I did.
WFC: What can we expect from you at the end of August?
Naurdiev: I won’t talk about my plans, I want it to be a surprise. I respect my opponent, I know that he’ll fight till the end so I believe it will be a good fight. I would like to thank Zlatko Mahic for the opportunity and also to Nebil Sebai who arranged the fight for me. Thanks to my team ThaiboxingMMA Salzburg, my brother and best sparring partner Ayub Gaziev, my sponsors Party Tuner and Top Ten and thanks to all the people who support me and stand behind me. Thank you very much.