Yusup Saadulaev aims for unbeaten 2018
Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev makes his return to the ONE Championship cage after a year away, and he can’t wait to jump back into the fray.
The Dagestani BJJ black belt takes on legendary grappler Masakazu Imanari at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 20 January, and he’s looking to pick up where he left off the last time he was in the ONE cage.
His last appearance saw Saadulaev claim a submission victory over Jordan “Showtime” Lucas with a modified rear-naked choke – a submission impressive enough to earn him second place in ONE Championship’s 2016 Submission of the Year honours.
And on 20 January, he hopes to deliver a similarly impressive performance against Imanari.
Saadulaev discovered martial arts through watching his heroes Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, which eventually led to him watching some of the early martial arts tournaments of the early-mid 1990s from the US. But he says he would have found his way to martial arts eventually.
“They did not inspire me to become a martial artist,” says Saadulaev. “It was life itself that lead me that way.”
He started out at a gym for freestyle wrestling after being introduced to it by his father when he was just 12 years of age.
“It is a national sport in my region, and Khasavyurt has one of the best schools in the world,” he explained.
“My eldest brother was very good at it, and I was expected to follow suit.”
A strong work ethic impressed his coaches, but eventually he drifted away from wrestling when he decided: “I did not know who I wanted to be”.
By the time he was 19, he was in Chicago, where he took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Christian Uflacker and Thai Boxing under Ricardo Perez. Saadulaev fell in love with martial arts and decided to take up the sport.
After amateur wins in the Muay Thai ring and the grappling mats, where he became a NAGA gold medallist and Pan-American BJJ Champion, he earned his BJJ black belt and decided to turn pro in September 2008.
“The coach recommended me to a promoter. I won in 46 seconds, then I competed more and more. It became addictive,” he explained.
“It is a fast-growing sport for many reasons: the business model is right, marketing is good, and it attracts lovers of different martial arts. The cage is the pinnacle of martial arts, because it is so versatile and so complex.”
Saadulaev then travelled the world competing inside the cage, and eventually joined ONE Championship in 2012, where he became one of only two men to defeat ONE Flyweight World champion Adriano Moraes.
Now, back home in Makachkala, the capital of Dagestan, Saadulaev continues his training as one of the world’s top bantamweights, as well as training a host of the region’s best up-and-coming prospects, and even manages a stable of athletes, including former ONE Featherweight Champion Marat Gafurov..
Riding a four-fight win streak, his plan now is to continue that winning run and push himself into championship contention, starting on 20 January against Japanese grappling legend Imanari.
“My goal in the next five years is to not lose any bouts,” he says.
“Competing is a priority now, coaching comes second, and management third. I might have to cut down on coaching so I can train myself more.”
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