Ramadan is the most important month in the Islamic calendar and this year it started on March 22nd and will last until April 21st. The fasting period also concerns the star Uzbek fighter Muradov, who made a name for himself in combat sports on the Czech-Slovak scene, mainly thanks to his work in the MMA Octagon.
“There are various restrictions. When the sun rises, I cannot drink or eat until it sets. At night it’s cool, you can eat and drink anything. It’s much harder at the moment when you’re making weight… but otherwise I take Ramadan well, I can handle it,” the thirty-three-year-old fighter describes to Sport.cz, for whom this is already a routine matter. He posted a post on social networks on this occasion , where he congratulates “his brothers and sisters” on this year’s Ramadan.
As mentioned, Ramadan presents strict rules. Apart from eating and drinking, no sexual activity, smoking or chewing is allowed until sunset. “I follow it, but it’s hard. But the harder it is, the more I enjoy it,” said Muradov during Ramadan last year. “I try to follow it, thanks to Ramadan I am a better person. I am spiritually and mentally stronger,” he describes the changes.
One of the best MMA fighters of all time, Khabib Nurmagomedov, also has his experience with Ramadan, who completely excluded hard training during this month. “I spend time with my family. I go to the mosque, pray and fast during the day. Of course I train. But it’s very difficult and dangerous. You don’t drink or eat all day, you can get injured. That’s why it’s not very contact and we don’t pair. But it’s still it’s hard,” describes the former UFC lightweight champion.
Interestingly, representatives of Premier League football clubs, where more than 50 Muslims play, approached these restrictions. As the selected matches are usually played after sunset, it is being considered that the management of the competition will order official breaks to allow Muslims to drink or take other dietary supplements. Two years ago, for example, the match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace was interrupted, at that time there were two players on the pitch who profess the Islamic religion.
However, Muradov is thinking about fighting in a cage. He was supposed to make his sixth appearance in the UFC on March 11 in Las Vegas against Dagestani Abusupiyan Magomedov, but he was not allowed to participate in the match due to a hand injury that happened to him during sparring. “The hand looks much better. I’m waiting for it to heal completely,” says Muradov, who currently has three wins and two losses in the UFC.
And as he himself informed, there is also the possibility that the rehabilitation of the injured right hand can be done without surgery. “I hope it can be done without surgery and I will be back in the game in a while,” he informed on social networks. Even after a few weeks, according to the Uzbek fighter, it is not definitively clear whether surgery will be needed.
Despite the significant limitations, he did not even resent training. He does what his body allows him to do. “For now, I’m only training lightly. That doesn’t mean I don’t train at all, but it’s lighter training. You can’t do more with that hand. I’m doing what I can at the moment. For example, I can handle strength crossfit just fine, I just can’t bang with that hand yet. But I’m slowly trying to do it,” added Muradov. It is not yet clear when he will actually get to fight his sixth match in the world’s most famous fighting organization.
