Tofiq Musayev (born December 15, 1989) is an

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, competing in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Glob ...

. As of November 22, 2022, he is #3 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings.

Early life

Tofiq Musayev was born in

Sahil, Azerbaijan Sahil is a village and municipality in the Garadagh raion of Baku, Azerbaijan. It had a population of 8,100 in 1974 and currently has a population of 23,900. Notable natives * Emin Guliyev — National Hero of Azerbaijan. * Rovshan Rzayev � ...

. Even at school, due to the minimum number of sports sections, he went to karate and later with pankration, kung-fu and taekwondo. Initially having success at the regional level, Musaev decided to devote himself completely to sanda, therefore, after graduating from school in 2007, he entered the sports academy. He became Asian Pankration champion in 2016 and world champion in

Kung-fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common t ...

, while studying at the Azeribaijan Sports Academy from 2007-2011. He is blue belt in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Since MMA was something new in Azerbaijan, and there were no well-trained fighters for sparring and training, Tofiq experienced certain difficulties getting used to the new format fights. Made his professional debut at the Azerbaijan MMA Federation in May 2013. When he was suddenly selected for the main event in that match, he achieved a vivid heel hold in 1R and won his debut match. His main problem was the defense on the ground, because in the first 6 fights, he filled himself with a 3-3 record, losing by submission in two cases out of three. Starting with the Ukrainian Oplot Challenge events, the athlete began to travel to Russia and perform there. Also, he did not forget about the Motherland, where little by little, MMA tournaments began to gain popularity among the audience and his talent blossomed when he refined his fighting style, which is based on his strong punches . In 2016, Musaev made his first trip to China, where he had a couple of performances before being spotted at the WFCA. And, it is worth recognizing, with the arrival of a newcomer to the organization, the light weight had found a new potential contender. Things were going well for Tofiq in Russia, in his debut he defeated Murad Shakhbaev, after which he went to Turkey for one fight, where he performed at the big Orion Fight Arena tournament, but then returned to the WFCA, as he planned to take the belt there. The next step for him was the meeting with Zurab Betergaraev, but the application for the status of the applicant was made in the confrontation with Marif Piraev. Having sent him to a technical knockout already in the first round, Musaev waited for proposals from the promotion, but they never came. Not wanting to wait for the leadership's decision on the fight with the champion, the Azerbaijani responded to the call of another league, very famous in Japan -

RIZIN Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

to sign him for their New Year's Eve event for 2018.

RIZIN Fighting Federation

Musayev made his RIZIN debut at Rizin 14 against Nobumitsu Osawa as the opening bout of the night. He won by TKO in the 2nd round, using ground and pound to finish the bout. He was scheduled to face 13-fight

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran and TUF: Live Team Faber contestant

Daron Cruickshank Daron Jae Cruickshank (born June 11, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a lightweight for the Xtreme Fighting Championships. A professional competitor since 2008, Cruickshank has also formerly competed for the UFC ...

at Rizin 16. He won by unanimous decision.

Lightweight Grand Prix

RIZIN announced that they would be hosting a Lightweight Grand Prix from September. Tofiq was 1 of 8 participants announced. On September 20, 2019, Tofiq was drawn against former XFC & Brace Lightweight champion and 6-fight UFC veteran Damien Brown at Rizin 19 as the quarterfinal match. He won by TKO in the final minute of the first round, using a head kick and punches to score the stoppage. At RIZIN.20, Musayev took on former MCC Lightweight champion and 6-fight UFC veteran

Johnny Case Johnny Case (born June 28, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of RIZIN. A professional since 2007, he formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Professional Fighters Leagu ...

in the semi-finals. Musayev dropped Case early in the 1st round and follwed up with strikes to force referee to intervene. In the finals, he met Bellator Lightweight title challenger

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA, Bellator's Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division, wher ...

. An exciting back-and-forth battle ended in a unanimous decision victory for the underdog Musaev (despite breaking his hand in the second round), and the Lightweight Grand Prix belt. His performance earned him widespread attention from his home country as the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Ismail Ismayilov to congratulate him, as well as the global MMA audience as he was considered one of the best lightweights outside of the UFC (

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on t ...

ranked him #13 globally and the best outside the UFC). After his Grand Prix triumph, Musayev was approached by the UFC, but declined an offer as he waited for RIZIN to make a proposal. “We were approached from the UFC, made a concrete proposal. But at the moment we are waiting for a response from Rizin. If we are satisfied with their proposal, then we will remain in this organization and will defend the title. Otherwise, I go to the UFC.” Musayev confirmed in March 2020 that he will sign a new contract with RIZIN, despite offers from both the UFC and ONE. He stated " IZINrespect their fighters and try to give them everything so that they stay with them.” In September 2020, Musayev was called to join the army in light of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. He is a reserve lieutenant of the Ground Forces of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, taking an active part in the front line from the first days of the war. The conflict ended in November after roughly 1 month of conflict and an Azerbaijani victory. As the Covid-19 pandemic ensued and borders were shut, Musayev could not participate in RIZIN for the whole of 2020, and the first half of 2021. Fellow RIZIN lightweight, Roberto de Souza stated ahead of RIZIN.27 that the promotion should crown a new champion if Musayev cannot return. On June 1, 2021, it was announced that Tofiq will face

Roberto de Souza Roberto Satoshi de Souza (born September 19, 1989; ) is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is the current Rizin Lightweight champion. ...

on June 13, 2021 at Rizin 28 for the inaugural Rizin FF Lightweight Championship. after a 14-day quarantine period from entry due to measures against the spread of the new coronavirus infection, he faced Roberto de Souza and suffered a first round loss due to a triangle choke.

Bellator MMA

On January 10, 2022, it was announced that Musayev signed a multi-fight contract with

. Musayev was scheduled to make his Bellator debut on April 22, 2022 at

Bellator 278 ''Bellator 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 22, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Background Bellator 278 was dedicated fo ...

against Zach Zane. However, the bout was scrapped after Zane pulled out due to unknown reasons and Tofiq wasn't rebooked against a new opponent. Musayev was scheduled to face

Adam Piccolotti Adam Piccolotti (born August 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. Background Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, California, Piccolotti competed in wrestling, baseball, and track an ...

on July 22, 2022 at

Bellator 283 ''Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on July 22, 2022 at Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Washington, United States. Background Visiting the state of Washington fo ...

. Piccolotti however pulled out of the bout due to injury. Musayev was instead rebooked against

Sidney Outlaw Sidney Outlaw (born April 11, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Bellator MMA. As of November 22, 2022, he is #5 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings. Background Born and raised in North ...

, after his opponent pulled out of their bout, and won the match via knockout 27 seconds into the first round.

Lightweight Grand Prix

On January 11, 2023, Musayev was announced as one of the 8 participants in the $1 million Lightweight Grand Prix, with his quarterfinal bout against

Alexandr Shabliy Alexandr Shabliy (born April 18, 1993) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. As of December 8, 2023, he is #1 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings. Background Alexander was born in the cit ...

taking place on March 10, 2023 at

Bellator 292 ''Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 10, 2023, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, United States. Background To kick off the $1 million Bellator L ...

. Musayev lost the bout in the third round, with a body kick rendering him unable to continue.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

** RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix Champion

Mixed martial arts record

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San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–4 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Rizin 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 ,

Patricky Pitbull Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champio ...

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2 , Rizin 20 , rowspan=2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=2 ,

Saitama may refer to: Places * Saitama (city), the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan * Saitama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan in the Kantō region ** Kita-Saitama District, Saitama ** Minami-Saitama District, Saitama ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Damien Brown , TKO (head kick and punches) , Rizin 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 16 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Nobumitsu Osawa , TKO (punches) , Rizin 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:19 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Marif Piraev , TKO (punches) , WFCA 48: Zhamaldaev vs. Khasbulaev 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 , Baku, Azerbaijan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Zurab Betergaraev , TKO (injury) , WFCA 45: Grozny Battle , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Grozny Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Murat Kocaturk , TKO (punches) , Orion Fight Arena: Spectacular Kickboxing MMA Gala , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

, Turkey , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Murad Shakhbanov , TKO (punches) , WFCA 34: Battle in Moscow , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Ayub Fahimi , KO (punches) , Azerbaijan MMA Federation: Azerbaijan vs. Iran , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 , Baku, Azerbaijan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Ooi Aik Tong , TKO (punches) , rowspan=2, Chinese Wushu Fight League , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 , rowspan=2,

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Jiang Tao , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Yincang Bao , TKO (punches) , International Kungfu Championship: Matan Tesco Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Shamil Magomedzagidov , KO (punch) , Azerbaijan MMA Federation: National Open Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 , Baku, Azerbaijan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Magomed Alkuliev , KO (punch) , Selection Of Warriors 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Aigun Akhmedov , Decision (unanimous) , New Stream: Russia vs. The World , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Said Khalilov , TKO (punches) , MMA Star In The Ring 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Evgeny Lakhin , Submission (triangle choke) , Siberian League: Combat Kuzbass 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Kemerovo Kemerovo ( rus, Ке́мерово, p=ˈkʲemʲɪrəvə) is an industrial city and the administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Iskitimka and Tom Rivers, in the major coal mining region of the Kuznetsk ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Musulman Muslimov , TKO (punches) , MMA Star in the Ring 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Mukhamed Berkhamov , Submission (anaconda choke) , Oplot Challenge 90 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Emilbek Beknazarov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Oplot Challenge 80 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:26 ,

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Yavuz Selim Kazanci , Submission (heel hook) , Azerbaijan MMA Federation: Azerbaijan vs. Turkey , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 , Baku, Azerbaijan , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Musayev, Tofiq 1989 births Living people Azerbaijani male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing pankration Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator male fighters Azerbaijani sanshou practitioners Azerbaijani practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu