Time may be running short for Ramazan Emeev to shake free from the pack in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.
The well-traveled Russian grappler will seek to improve upon a 5-2 record inside the Octagon when he squares off with Jack Della Maddalena in a featured UFC 275 attraction on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Emeev has rattled off nine wins across his past 11 appearances. However, he finds himself in the rebound following a contentious split decision defeat to Danny Roberts at UFC Fight Night 195 on Oct. 16.
As Emeev sets his sights on Della Maddalena in an intriguing showdown at 170 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. A championship mettle marked his rise.
Emeev has twice captured the M-1 Global middleweight crown. He won the championship for the first time when he took a five-round unanimous decision from Mario Miranda at M-1 Challenge 35 on Nov. 15, 2012, surrendered it in a fourth-round technical knockout loss to Vyacheslav Vasilevsky at M-1 Challenge 51 on Sept. 7, 2014 and then reclaimed it with a rear-naked choke submission of Vasilevsky in their M-1 Challenge 56 rematch on April 10, 2015. Emeev remains the only two-time 185-pound champion in the history of the promotion.
2. He leaves few stones unturned.
The 35-year-old Emeev operates out of Gorets MMA in his native Russia, where he trains alongside Rashid Magomedov, Gadzhimurad Antigulov, Magomed Ankalaev and a number of other finely tuned mixed martial artists. He has also spent time sharpening his skills at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
3. His weapons extend beyond the grind.
While his last eight bouts have reached the judges, Emeev has shown the ability to hit the high note. The former M-1 Global champion has 10 finishes to his credit, seven of them inside one round. They include his 96-second knockout of Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Albert Duraev in 2012.
4. Road trips do not faze him.
Emeev has fought for six different promotions—the UFC, M-1 Global, the Professional Fighting Championships, Lipetsk Mixfight, Warrior Glory and Global Battle—and competed in eight different countries while doing so: Russia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and Switzerland.
5. He put a safety net in place.
Emeev holds a law degree from Dagestan State University in Makhachkala, Russia. Founded in 1931, the school touts an enrollment of roughly 18,000 students.