5 Things You Might Not Know About Shamil Musaev

Surging welterweight prospect Shamil Musaev will make his Professional Fighters League debut at PFL 3 when he meets Logan Storley at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

“Silent Assassin” carries the strength of a pristine record, outside of a negligible scratch on his resume that comes in the form of a majority draw against Michal Pietrzak at KSW 64. The Russian was last seen in action at Russian Cagefighting Championship 16 against Alexey Kunchenko—a fight he won in an explosive technical knockout courtesy of a spinning back kick and punches. As he stands on the brink of his next challenge on American soil, here are five things you might not know about Musaev:

1. He was built from the ground up.

Besides the formidable professional record that he boasts, Musaev proved his mettle on the amateur circuit, compiling a solid 4-0 record in the process. He competed in a triple feature of selection fights on Oct. 6, 2017 at the WMMAA 5th World MMA Championships held at the Daulet Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan. “Silent Assassin” secured three straight unanimous decision victories and booked his spot in the final showdown against Temirlan Ikhsangaliev. He won the clash by unanimous decision. Musaev also competed in a professional exhibition clash in September 2014 against Maxim Grabovich at the M-1 Global Super-Stage Reality Show MixFighter, scoring an emphatic sweep decision victory.

2. A champion’s forge serves as his staging ground.

Musaev trains with the Golden Team, an esteemed gym in Moscow revered for producing some of the most dominant fighters and colossal figures in the professional mixed martial arts landscape worldwide. Notably, the gym was home to Anatoly Malykhin, reigning ONE Championship heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight titleholder—the first fighter in history to win major MMA championships in three weight classes and the first to hold them simultaneously. Russian middleweight standout Magomed Ismailov, who holds a professional record of 18-3, also trains out of the gym, which only goes to prove that Musaev rubs shoulders with some of the best names in the game regularly.

3. He has not been immune to controversy.

Musaev engaged in a three-round contest against Uros Jurisic at the KSW 58 showcase, which went down at the Wytwornia Club in Lodz, Poland. The bout proved to be a competitive affair with both fighters seizing their moments, yet it was Musaev who got the nod on the scorecards via unanimous decision. Jurisic was handed his first professional loss, which did not go down well with his team. Just when everyone thought cooler heads would prevail, Jurisic shoved his hands into the face of Musaev’s coach. What ensued was a full-blown melee, as Musaev slammed his opponent’s coach, which led to him being fined 50% of his purse. Jurisic, for his part, was fined 30% of his fight purse for instigating the matter.

4. War interrupted his momentum.

The undefeated Russian star had his KSW 68 bout against an unnamed opponent in Radom, Poland, canceled due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The promotion cited ethical reasons for the decision, standing firm against Russia’s invasion in 2022. Musaev went on to compete under the Russian Cagefighting Championship banner at RCC 16 showcase in the aforementioned bout against Kunchenko.

5. He flexes his fury in first rounds.

In 15 professional outings, Musaev has scored nine first-round victories—a testament to his explosive fighting style and killer instincts. Between August 2016 and December 2019, Musaev rattled off six rapid victories, with four knockouts and two submissions.