How a gruesome injury turned Ramazan Gitinov into the best amateur fighter of all time
Ramazan Gitinov closed out his amateur career with a third world title last February as he announced his intention to go pro soon thereafter. As the clock ticks down to his BRAVE CF debut, which takes place on Monday, June 19, in Bahrain, he has reflected on his journey to the top of the amateur world and an incredible 30 fight win streak that pushed him to the top of amateur fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
But his start in mixed martial arts wasn’t as glorious as the ending of his amateur career. Ramazan went 1-2 in his first three fights, and that included a horrible facial injury he suffered in his loss to Fabien Xabidi in the 2017 IMMAF World Championships.
He suffered a facial fracture and was forced to be sidelined for the entirety of 2018. But this forced period away from competition turned out to be the best thing for his career. Without the pressure of competing, Ramazan was able to develop his skillsets calmly, using that time to adapt his already world-class wrestling game to MMA, while sharpening his tools in the striking department.
Once he went back to competing, Ramazan was an entirely different fighter. A world-class mixed martial artist who went on to make a name for himself winning every single competition available to him in the IMMAF circuit.
Three world titles, a gold medal in the MMA Super Cup for Bahrain, and continental championships, Ramazan finished his amateur career with 30 straight victories, seven gold medals, and the undeniable title of the best amateur fighter of all time.
Now, he believes he can make a similar impact in the professional ranks and has recently revealed he would like to become BRAVE Combat Federation champion by the end of 2024. If there was uncertainty before about Gitinov being able to achieve his goals, his memorable run in amateur MMA has erased any doubts.
BRAVE CF 71 full fight card:
Main Card
Featherweight: Omar Solomanov vs Ilyar Askhanov
Bantamweight: Velimurad Alkhasov vs Nicholas Hwende
Super Lightweight: Abbas Khan vs Omar Hussein
Super Lightweight: Mahmoud Sebie vs Oussama Zeidi
Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Ramazan Gitinov vs Abderrahman Errachidy
Super Lightweight: Khamzat Maaev vs Elias Farah
Flyweight: Maysara Mohamed vs Ruel Panales
Bantamweight: Abdullah Al-Yaqoob vs Kenneth Maningat
