Rahim Atabayev took part in the mixed martial arts competition — BFC Contender Series: Atletik.
Rahim Atabayev, a 2nd year student of the Law Faculty of the Belarusian State University from Turkmenistan, took part in the MMA tournament — BFC Contender Series: Atletik on May 22. At the 23rd second of the first round, he knocked out his opponent, 23-year-old Timur Alekseyev, with just one blow.
The competition was held in Minsk under the auspices of the Belarusian Federation of Hand-to-Hand Combat and Mixed Martial Arts. Throughout the round, the pupil of the First Sports School of Ashgabat was very confident, skillfully repelling attacks and defending himself from blows. The fight was held within featherweight class (61 to 66 kg).
In an interview to online media CentralAsia.news, 22-year-old boxer Rahim Atabayev shared his opinion about the tournament and the plans for the future.
Did you like the tournament?
— I enjoyed being a part of this mixed martial arts competition. I was surprised that some other opponents had high skill level.
Who is your trainer?
At the moment I am trained by Sergey Shurko, coach of the «CHINUK» club, world champion in pankration, European champion in Muay Thai according to IKF, but my main boxing mentor is the coach of the First Sports School of Ashgabat Begnazar Annaorazov, and my wrestling and MMA trainer is Yollyev Mergen.
Do you have any secret training methods?
Before the fight, I switch to an enhanced training system. There are no secrets; I just work out regularly, and I always strive to achieve the best results.
What motivates you to fight and to win?
Mostly it’s my family, which now lives in sunny Turkmenistan. My goal is to raise the Turkmen flag high and proudly at other similar tournaments.
How does sport affect your life?
Boxing has influenced me both physically and psychologically for 10 years. It gave me stamina and confidence, developed my logical thinking and analytical skills. During the fight, first of all, it is necessary to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, and then it is necessary to develop options for conducting the battle. To win, you need to be able to analyze the situation in order to instantly adapt. And all this happens in seconds, and if the reaction speed is developed, then success is almost guaranteed. I am sure that intelligence and speed of thinking are important in boxing.
Who is your favorite boxer and MMA fighter?
Speaking of mixed martial arts, I like Khabib Nurmagomedov the most. And I especially admire Mike Tyson among the boxers.
How do your parents feel about your fights, do they support you?
At the beginning, my parents were worried, since boxing is a competition that is based on hitting each other. Now they are used to it and are happy with my success. They understand that sport is good for the health.
Tell us about your plans for the future.
After graduating from university, I want to come back to my homeland, work as a lawyer and continue to do boxing since the authorities of Turkmenistan have created all the necessary conditions for sport activities.
What would you advise young Turkmen boxers?
I would advise them to listen to the coach carefully, to perform certain techniques correctly, to observe safety precautions. To achieve certain goals, you need to train regularly.
It must be added that both amateurs and professionals took part in the tournament. These are combat sambists, wrestlers, boxers.
Biography and achievements of Rahim
Our hero was born in Ashgabat in 1999. He started to attend boxing section in the sixth grade with his classmates. At that time, he was training under the guidance of Begnazar Annaorazov, coach of the First Sports School of the Ashgabat Main Directorate for Sports and Youth Policy.
On December 17-19, 2019, the Turkmen student became the winner of the Republican Universiade in boxing in Gomel. Rahim was a winner at several youth championships of Turkmenistan; he has got the silver medal at the Turkmenistan Cup in Boxing between men in the 69 kg category (2017), and the gold medal of the National Wushu Festival of Turkmenistan in the 60 weight category (2015). In total, he had 96 fights with 85 victories.
