AZERBAIJAN'S "MAUGLI"

There are some people who, irrespective of where they live, always hold their Motherland dear and greatly honour its name every time they are successful. This K-1 [martial arts] fighter, who lives in Belarus and has been nicknamed "Maugli", raises Azerbaijan's flag every time he wins in the ring; in every interview he proudly mentions his Motherland.  The public at large got to know Zabit at the famous K-1 contests. His win last year against the well-known Dutch kickboxer Badr Hari, who is nicknamed "The Golden Boy", brought Zabit to the attention of the world.

In an interview with Regionplus Samadov spoke about his win against Badr Hari, about his plans for the future and his next fight.

- I would like to start with your last competition. Although you won in a difficult fight with Melvin Manhoef at the prestigious "Legenda" tournament in Moscow, you were not able to take part in the final fight. What was the reason for that?

- Four major sportsmen took part in that tournament at the invitation of the organisers. In the first bout I fought with the Dutch sportsman Melvin Manhoef. Those who watched that bout recall that we were both a bit cautious. We did not want to take risks. I kept remembering that, if you make a mistake, your opponent will immediately take advantage of that. Fighters like Melvin do not let mistakes go unpunished. He deals powerful blows. I tried to score more with my legs. I am pleased that I managed to win that fight. I received a serious knee injury, so the doctors prohibited me from going on with the competition. I wasn't too upset about it since I had managed to win the main fight. Many had expected that I would win the Grand Prix. I would like to express my gratitude to all of them for their support. It was simply that some aspects had made me train more seriously for the bout with Melvin. Although I received the injury during the fight, I was able to keep going till the end. But I was not able to compete in the finals. I would like to thank all those fans who supported me in that fight. I would like to thank individually Azerbaijan's ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, and Arzu Aliyeva [the daughter of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev] and [her husband] Samad Qurbanov, who came watch me fight and gave me their support.

- In beating one of the best known K-1 fighters, Badr Hari, you attracted the attention of the whole world to yourself.  Had you lost any fights with him before that?

- Badr Hari is a highly experienced and famous sportsman. He had managed to win in the previous two bouts with me. Our third "duel" took place in May last year. That time it did not even cross my mind to lose, since that would have caused me to be extremely disappointed. What is more, I was offended by Hari's statement before the fight that he was bound to win. He was really over-confident. The fight was quite tough. All I could think of in the ring was winning. I won, scoring a knockout.

- A month ago Badr Hari stated in an interview that you won by accident. He thinks that you just got lucky…

- I can understand him. Top sportsmen find it hard to come to terms with losing. He still can't shake off the memory of his defeat in May last year. This is why he doesn't want to acknowledge that I won fair and square on that day. 

- Badr also said that you would lose the fight with Melvin…

- I was really angry about that assertion. I wanted to prove to Badr Hari that I could beat Melvin Manhoef too and that I was a fighter in the same class as himself. Badr was really scathing about me. I wanted to respond to him in the ring. This is why I didn't even think about the finals. I knew that I couldn't break off the fight with Melvyn, even when I got the injury.

- After each fight you wave Azerbaijan's flag in the ring. Are you making a special point?

- Azerbaijan is my homeland. I know that fans there are keeping track of every bout I fight in. When I win, I receive lots of messages of congratulations from Baku. At each competition I proudly announce that I am representing Azerbaijan. Although I live in Belarus, Azerbaijan is where my loyalty lies.

- It would be interesting to learn a bit about your childhood. Did you start doing sport by chance or was it because you were really interested in it?

- My childhood was very different from that of children today. At that time, all children were influenced by martial-arts blockbusters. We eagerly watched films starring the famous Jean Claude Van Damme. Like many children, I also started to get interested in martial arts. My father took me to the gym. So that's when I began to take up this tough career. Once I had seen Van Damme's films, I started to wonder whether I could become a fighter too.

- Van Damme starred in many films? Didn't you think you might do that too?

- (smiles) To be honest, I did have several offers. You can think about it if there's a good plot and the offer is worthwhile. I do not want to make films just to appear in the cinema. I would only do that if it was really worthwhile.

- Every sportsman has a favourite move…

- In the ring I use the move that it the most suitable. During my career I have used right-leg kicks most of all. I usually scored a knockout with them.

- When you're fighting do your near kith and kin come to see you fight in the arena or do they watch you on television?

- I get really worried when a member of my family is in the arena. This can affect the way I fight. So, more often than not, they watch the fight on television.

- How do you stop yourself from feeling nervous before the fight?

- Before I go out into the ring, I think about my family. I remember the people who love me and are always expecting me to win. It is with these thoughts that I get ready for the fight.

- Which knockout do you remember most of all?

- In the finals of the K-1 tournament in Marseilles. My fight with Gregory Tony was a really tough one. In spite of that, I did win with a knockout.

- When is your next fight?

- Talks are taking place about this at the present time. The managers have offered me two variants. The fight can be in Turkey or in the USA. The date and location of the fight will be settled before the end of February.

- What is Zabit going to do when his sporting career ends?

- I haven't left the sport yet. Perhaps I will become a coach later on, or perhaps a manager.

- And finally - what are your plans for the future?

- I would like to set up a really strong K-1 team. Many of my fellow countrymen are competing in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries. I would like to get them together. I dream of promoting K-l in our country, so that we have a lot of capable sportsmen too. 

ABOUT HIM 

Zabit Samadov was born into an Azeri family living in Georgia; at the age of 10 years he moved to [the Belarusian capital] Minsk. When he was young he used to do karate, kick-boxing and Muay Thai. He is world and European champion in the latter two types of sport. He took first place at the prestigious K-1 competition in France in 2007. In that same year he came second in the world Grand Prix in Las Vegas. In 2008 Samedov fought Ray Sefo, a famous K-1 fighter, won a well-deserved victory in the tough fight. 

In 2009 he took part in a major international tournament in Poland and won the top prize. At the "K-1 World Max 2010 East Europe" held in the Belarusian capital Minsk in 2010 . Zabit Samadov, who had earned the nickname "Maugli" by that time and had fought for the title of world champions in the KOK [Kings of Kings] version, fought the Dutchman Rodney Glunder who was nicknamed "The Silent Assassin". 

Gaining an early victory, "Maugli" became KOK-version world champion. In May 2013 Samadov beat one of the most world famous fighters, Badr Hari, scoring a knockout, and then in the "Legenda" tournament in Moscow he won in his fight against Melvin Manhoef. 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION 

K-1 is a professional competitive sport based on martial arts (Thai boxing, Muay Thai, karate, tae kwon do, kick-boxing, traditional boxing and others), in which fighters of every possible discipline compete in five three-minute rounds. For the safety of the fighters they wear protective gloves and attacks are limited to pushes and punches. Throws, elbow blows and head-butting are forbidden. Starting in 1993 K-l became the most popular sport in Japan, boosting interest in martial arts on a state scale.

The main element responsible for K-1's unprecedented success is its unpredictability: a fighter who is physically superior to his opponent may be knocked out with a single blow. It often happens that technique and swiftness overcome strength.