Other names Maugli (Mowgli) Weight 95 kg Nationality Azerbaijan Draws 1 | Ethnicity Azerbaijani Name Zabit Samedov Losses 9 Height 1.83 m | |
 | ||
Profiles | ||
Conor McGregor vs Zabit Samedov
Zabit "Maugli" Samedov K1 Fighter
Zabit "Maugli" Samedov (Azerbaijani: Zabit Səmədov, Russian: Забит Самедов, born June 21, 1984) is an Azerbaijani kickboxer fighting out of Chinuk Gym in Minsk, Belarus. He has competed in the K-1, It's Showtime and SUPERKOMBAT promotions.
Contents
- Conor McGregor vs Zabit Samedov
- Zabit Maugli Samedov K1 Fighter
- Biography and career
- Personal life
- Controversies
- Titles
- References
As of 1 August 2017, he is ranked the #8 heavyweight in the world by CombatPress.com.
Biography and career
Zabit Samedov was born in Georgia into an Azerbaijani family and moved to Minsk when he was 10 years old. He started practicing martial arts at the age of 9. At very first he studied karate for 6 months under Aziz Dursunov, then switched to Muay Thai. In 1998, he joined Chinuk Gym, a well known gym based in Minsk. He trained with Alexey Ignashov and Sergei Gur under the management of his trainer Dmitriy Pyasetsky.
He was recruited by top martial arts organization K-1 after achieving several titles in various events between 2004 and 2006. He began to fight with consistency by attaining the title of K-1 Fighting Network in Riga in 2006 in Latvia.
On August 17, 2007, following the K-1 World GP 2007 in Las Vegas event the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) issued a statement that Samedov tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.
On 26 April 2008, Samedov competed in K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam, dispatched Doug Viney and Brian Douwes respectively. However, he was beaten by Errol Zimmerman in the final on points.
Samedov fought at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Łódź where he beat, Mindaugas Sakalauskas by unanimous decision and Raul Catinas and Sergei Lascenko to finally make it to the Final 16. At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 Samedov was knocked out by Badr Hari in the first round. He's now set to fight Igor Jurković on United Glory 15.
He faced Xavier Vigney at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo Final 16 on October 14, 2012 and totally outclassed the young American, flooring him three times in the first round to win via TKO.
He was scheduled to face Andrei Stoica for the inaugural SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight Championship at the SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2012 Final in Bucharest, Romania on December 22 but pulled out due to illness.
At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final on March 15, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia, he was originally drawn against Ben Edwards in the quarter-finals. However, Edwards withdrew due to having a fight booked with Paul Slowinski a week later, and was replaced by Badr Hari. Samedov was knocked down in round one and received a standing eight count in three, losing a unanimous decision.
Samedov scored a first round high kick KO over Wiesław Kwaśniewski at SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes 3 in Vienna, Austria on May 10, 2013.
A third fight with Badr Hari took place at Legend 1 in Moscow, Russia on May 25, 2013. Samedov dropped Hari late in round one, and sent him to the canvas again with a left hook in the second. Although Hari seemed lucid, he stayed on his knees and did not beat the count, giving Samedov the KO victory.
He competed in the -93 kg/205 lb tournament at Legend 2: Invasion in Moscow, Russia on November 9, 2013, taking a unanimous decision over Melvin Manhoef in the semi-finals. He was set to fight Pavel Zhuravlev in the final but was unable to do so due to a cut and was replaced by Agron Preteni.
Returning to the ring for the first time in eight months, Samedov scored a 21-second high kick knockout over Stefan Leko on the undercard of the Ruslan Chagaev vs. Fres Oquendo boxing match in Grozny, Russia on July 6, 2014.
Personal life
Controversies
In 2009, Samedov accused Alistair Overeem, Badr Hari and Errol Zimmerman of steroid use during their fights. His claims were supported by Badr Hari and Ruslan Karaev. In 2012, Overeem was revealed to have failed his pre-fight drug test by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Overeem had a 14-to-1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, over the allowed ratio rate of 6-to-1. On Friday April 20, 2012, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Overeem had been removed from his fight with Dos Santos and replaced by Frank Mir.