Las Vegas, NV — For Azamat Murzakanov, it was “do or die” after losing the first two rounds in his UFC debut.
Murzakanov (11-0) did not have the smoothest debut at UFC Vegas 50. He was down two rounds in a fight where he was favored to win, and undoubtedly needed a finish. That’s exactly what he got. Murzakanov landed a flying knee that put Tafon Nchukwi down in the final frame, and just like that, his promotional premiere went from a bust to a Performance of the Night bonus-winning effort.
A flying knee knockout to start #UFCVegas50 💥 pic.twitter.com/8n8kfZQfuf
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 12, 2022
“The second round wasn’t going my way, and I knew I lost that round maybe. For the third round, I came up with a plan, do or die in this cage. I’m gonna give all, and this is what happened,” Murzakanov told the media, including Cageside Press, during his UFC Vegas 50 post-fight interview through a translator.
The Russian fighter didn’t expect his opponent to be stronger than him. He also found that his opponent was much more awkward than expected.
“Yeah, from the start, it wasn’t going according to the plan. He was like an awkward opponent for me; it was difficult. I couldn’t find the rhythm. He was also stronger physically than I expected. But for me, the most important is the final result — the finale,” Murzakanov said.
“The Professional” had three cancelled fights in 2021, so he hopes to get back to action soon. He just has some injuries to take care of.
“I had some small injuries we didn’t talk about, and we didn’t let anybody know. I want to take care of them real quick and get back as soon as possible,” Murzakanov said. “I’m just hoping they will give me already an opponent. I’m waiting for them to give me the opponent.”
Watch the rest of Azamat Murzakanov’s UFC Vegas 50 post-fight interview above.
