Alibeg Rasulov has shown immense talent in his career as a mixed martial artist, but it wasn’t always the first sport he gravitated towards growing up.

The undefeated Russian star is set to compete in his biggest bout yet when he takes on Ok Rae Yoon in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23 this Friday, July 5. The pair will compete for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title, and it promises to be fireworks inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Alibeg Rasulov reveals the secret behind his combat sports success

Growing up on the outskirts of Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, Rasulov was exposed to wrestling at an early age. The Russian republic is known for its rich heritage in the grappling arts, and it was the perfect base for his martial arts career. “As a child, I chose the right way: do wrestling. I did freestyle wrestling for a long time,” Rasulov told ONE. “I also played football at school. In general, I had a sporty childhood.” 

The ONE newcomer graduated high school and chose to pursue higher education, but it soon became clear that his path wasn’t going to be traditional. His passion for combat sports was too great, and he soon became more involved. 

Rasulov’s ultimate test was the all-encompassing sport of mixed martial arts. He knew he had to add to his grappling arsenal to stand a chance at succeeding in it. With that in mind, the Turkey-based fighter looked to develop his knowledge of striking.

“I initially wanted to switch to MMA. But I already had wrestling skills and wanted to improve at stand-up. So I decided to enter Muay Thai,” he said. “Muay Thai for me is a good sport: clinching, elbow strikes, knee strikes – everything MMA requires, so this was a good link.” 

Rasulov’s decision to become a professional fighter “came on its own”

From there, Rasulov joined Gorets Gym in 2012, where he honed his all-around skills well enough to start competing at the amateur level. After finding success, he decided to turn professional in 2013. It was the natural progression of the journey he set out on to become a full-time athlete, so the decision to do it was easy. 

“It was after school when I decided to do it professionally, after freestyle wrestling. The decision came on its own,” he said. Then I had my professional debut around 11 years ago and realized it was my way.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Rasulov has amassed a pristine 13-0 record in MMA since then, so it’s safe to say that he made the right choice for his career. The next step for him is his main event showdown at ONE Fight Night 23 this weekend. If he can continue to succeed, he’ll put ONE’s entire lightweight MMA division on notice.