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Getting to know Azamat Bekoev
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Jun 16, 2025
UFC vets Jessica Penne and Angela Hill catch up with Azamat Bekoev on his way to visit his mom in Russia after huge UFC Des Moines KO win over Ryan Loder. He seems to be living the dream right now, hear what he has to say about his journey, how he forced his way into the UFC and who he wants to smash next. He got cut off at the end but dont forget to join his growing Twitter army (X) here: https://x.com/azamatbekoev?s=21 Powered by Duelbits. Join us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1FaPU4wQCG9RdbNlMBI-fA/join 02:04 Azamat the UFC Hitman 05:06 NY stakeout for Mick Maynard 09:11 Short notice SMASH 10:09 Follow him on twitter @AzamatBekoev 12:24 Main character 17:15 From street fighter to MMA
View Video Transcript
0:00
what's up as much hi girls how are you good how are you doing how are you enjoying that uh
0:10
50 000 bonus are you spending it i didn't get them yet but i'm still waiting
0:15
i'm still waiting yeah but i'm that's better that i didn't get them because
0:21
i would i would smash them like for a couple days in shopping
0:26
Ryan hasn't had the money talk with you yet No, I need to talk with him
0:35
I need to learn how to save money Maybe you're going to help you with that too
0:40
No, getting that first 50,000 bonus is so exciting It goes kind of fast if you're not careful
0:46
But the best way to save money is to keep fighting and knock somebody
0:51
Some wrestlers you would know better than both of us yeah where are you going
1:03
recording I'm going to Russia to see my mom for 10 days, maybe 15 and
1:13
I'm gonna come back soon because I wanna create another fight choose another opponent
1:21
and smash him again like some wrestler. Yeah, you had a few call-outs after your fight
1:30
Are you still sticking with those? One was the turtle ninja. Turtle ninja boring guy
1:38
Yeah. What made you want to fight him so bad? He's just a wrestler, just a boring guy
1:48
Nobody likes him. and I want to make favor for UFC because they make me favor too
1:56
They gave me to fight there and now I have to help
2:01
them to resolve this problem. So you're like the hitman now. Who do you want out of the division
2:10
I'm your guy. Call me. I'll take care of it. That's exactly what I wanted to say
2:16
Okay. You're going to change your nickname now. What's the name? Hitman
2:22
Yes. Okay, I like it. Because Kingpin, it was my first nickname
2:30
I didn't get it, why they call me like that. I'm not like gangster
2:36
Yeah, I guess. I think Kingpin would be a good nickname for Dana White
2:41
I feel like he looks more like a Kingpin. I agree. I agree with that
2:50
So how are you doing? Because I haven't seen you since Los Angeles
2:59
Yeah, we're doing good. But yeah, we're doing good. We're just training
3:09
Jessica was training for a GFL that fell through, unfortunately, but might still be training for that
3:16
And I'm just staying busy, staying ready, trying to get closer to finishing fights like you've been doing
3:23
What's your secret? Do you have one when it comes to getting the knockout
3:28
getting the finish in your fights? Because you've been pretty good at that. I don't know how it's worked
3:37
I'm very hungry. I wanted to be in the UFC. I when I got there
3:43
I like I like to being in the UFC because that's what I was dreaming for
3:51
and now after like so many injuries I started appreciate that if you're healthy
3:59
you can fight there is not a lot of people who can be like healthy
4:03
but they might be wants to fight but they cannot so I'm lucky with that
4:09
And I understand it now and I want to smash to everybody and showing good performance for people
4:19
Because in UFC, you girls know, when you fight in the UFC, it's very different
4:26
Because a lot of people watching you, there is a lot of big crowd and that's what I like
4:32
That's what I like and that's why I started making like knockouts because I don't feel sorry for myself in the fight
4:40
I'm ready. I wanna just smash everyone Yes, it was like almost maybe eight months ago
5:14
I was fighting in the LFA. I was LFA champion, but I didn't get victories by knockout
5:25
And Nick said he needs to see, can I finish or no
5:29
and I decided to fight again to show him that I like a high level fighter and I get another fight I knocked out one guy my opponent with one punch knockout
5:46
But I didn't get the call from the UFC. Everybody was like quiet
5:53
And I was starting a little bit nervous about that because I wanted to know what else I
6:00
have to do. if you need like one more fight, I can do it
6:04
Just let me know. I don't want to waste my time because I'm ready for UFC
6:09
And when I didn't get any call, I went to New York
6:15
I decided to go to New York. Started working on the Uber because it was like a very hard time
6:25
and I needed to get some money for travel New York. I made some money to buy tickets because my English is a little bit limited
6:42
No, your English is great. It's great. You're doing great. I cannot explain everything
6:49
I came to New York and was looking for Mick Maynard. about two days i didn't sleep nothing because i was i was looking for him and then
7:03
in the second day i found him but he was with somebody he was going to the
7:09
restaurant and i didn't want to bother him like and it was like an impolite to like interrupting
7:16
him and i didn't come by i was still waiting there till two i am morning and finally i get him
7:25
and ask him showed him my video like knock out about i did knock out what else i have to do i'm gonna do this sorry one second
7:38
uh and he said we'll figure it out we will figure it out it's you okay
7:46
and then I say bye and go home but I couldn't sleep and my manager
7:52
Brian Butler texting me did you see him and I said yes
7:57
what he said but I guess he when Brian was texting me
8:04
I think Mick called him already and Brian said can you come
8:10
like bye tomorrow morning I came and he said you in But while I didn't get fight, I wasn't sure and I couldn't believe it
8:21
And I went home after that, was waiting again to about two months
8:27
but still no call, no UFC, nothing. And there was like another UFC in Tampa
8:35
And I went from Miami to the Tampa to see him again, to remind
8:40
And I met him like very easy. I don't know. I got lucky
8:44
And he said, brother, you are in. No worry. Next day, Brian Butler
8:49
called me back again and said, you are in. Just wait a little bit
8:57
But I was very confident and one day I'm going to be
9:03
in the UFC and going to smash everyone. And you saw like very short
9:11
I was ready, I was confident and I just smashed a well-rounded guy
9:18
Yes, it looked like a little bit like an unbelievable story, but I don't know
9:28
God is helping me. You do what you gotta do. You made your own luck
9:34
yeah you see what happening with my Twitter in the matter of a week since your last night how much before my last fight I
9:59
didn't have any followers when I came to the USA one of my
10:05
friends said you have to follow or download Twitter because it's like very
10:11
popular in the USA and you have to be there I downloaded like
10:18
signed up but nobody was following me nobody was interesting and I forgot about it
10:25
I thought it's about only for politic or like something like that else and then after my fight uh i was like maybe i should try it in and uh made a little
10:41
some video and post it and it's like starting working it's i just i i think it's just that
10:49
was just right timing you know and i got it yeah no that was really impressive
10:56
but i i don't understand why people like it why people start liking me i'm bad guy
11:06
but they like me i don know paradox i don know how to say it in english yeah Is that all you Is that all you Or is somebody helping you with coming up with new tweets and everything
11:24
It's on me. But if I need some translation, I'm asking my friend sometime to help me with translating
11:32
Because my English is good. But sometimes I need to write it down correctly
11:40
gotcha yeah it's it's really entertaining to see a fighter's personality especially you know a lot
11:48
of fighters who who are bilingual they're shy and they don't want to misspeak or say the wrong thing
11:56
in english but for you especially on your twitter it gives us like dumb only english speaking people
12:04
an insight into your personality you seem like a really funny person
12:09
thank you I just started to feel free I don't care about
12:18
if somebody say something because I'm the main character and I'm deciding what
12:27
I have to do of course People will always say something like bad, good, whatever you will do
12:41
So I just decided to be like who I am showing for everybody
12:50
And just telling what I want to pronounce, what I want to do with my opponent or rival, how to say it
12:59
Just say it. don't hide it I have to be quiet I don't understand it
13:08
and it's working I like that on your short time on Twitter have you started getting DMs
13:16
or any kind of crazy fan interactions yet yes a lot of
13:22
a lot of direct messages in the Instagram also a lot of people texting you
13:29
that they love me they will follow me And sorry for booing me in the eye over
13:35
A lot of mess. And I love it, you know. I love it too
13:40
No, it was funny. Yours was, I think it was the only fight that night in Des Moines
13:45
that people started chanting USA as soon as the fight was announced
13:50
But by the end of it, it did not matter where you were from. You put on such an amazing show that they were all cheering for you afterwards
13:58
Yes, yes. actually I don't care what's like happening at the gym and the arena crowd
14:06
support me or not support me I have to just I want to
14:12
smash my opponent because I understand that he wants to beat me too
14:17
he wants to make me damage he wants to make a lot of bad things with me
14:25
if I will lose it's going to like a little bit stop my career like
14:30
my life will be not good like now and I started like
14:37
look differently with my to my opponents right now that's why nobody like
14:47
can interrupt me like crowd like supporting not supporting I don't care I have to smash like my
14:54
opponent it's like working like that with me nice where what did you start with when you first
15:03
started training like what was your first discipline uh actually i started uh mma in 20
15:11
when i get 20 years old before i i was like street fighter i didn't respect fighters
15:19
because I thought they are just showing off or show up. I don't know how to say it
15:26
Yeah, showing off. Yeah, showing off. And I was fighting a lot outside
15:33
I have never lost outside, like in the street. How many fights in the street
15:39
A lot, a lot. How many? A hundred? Yeah. No, 100, but maybe like 30, more than 30 times
15:52
That's a lot. Yeah. How do you get into these fights? Are you provoking them
15:58
Is somebody provoking you? I always wanted to be the toughest guy in the neighborhood
16:05
I wanted to impress girls, everybody. That's when you put that nickname, I think
16:11
everybody and uh i thought that somebody was like bullying me but now i understand nobody
16:19
was bullying me i was starting everything myself but i make myself like that i'm like
16:26
victim victim you know but but it wasn't victim i was they were victims yeah you're the bully
16:37
but but but now i don't fight in the street anymore you know i don't believe nobody anymore
16:48
only for fighting only for money that it yes so So you had your street fight career You put that down and then you started MMA right after that
17:02
Or did you do anything as a kid? When I get 20, I understand that if I will keep doing this
17:09
I'm going to die or going to go to the jail. There is no other way
17:17
and I found MMA like a social lift to change my life
17:22
to be successful I understand it and I just started I promised myself that I'm going to
17:30
go to the gym and I will not lose one training
17:41
I will train every day one year and I'm going to experiment, I wanted to make
17:46
experiment. I'm going to spend one year and we'll see what is going to happen
17:53
In the first competition I lost, but second and third I win
17:58
and I started winning. I felt it and I understand that it's my stuff
18:06
I just started to do this. I know MMA for me it's okay
18:14
I don't want to talk about that now. aww come on please
18:19
MMA for me it's like I don't maybe I don't like to fight
18:27
but I I want to be successful you know and there is
18:31
only one way for me because now it's a lot of ways
18:35
but back then I didn't see any other like ways to be successful
18:41
and that's why I started fighting but maybe if I would have like
18:46
chance I would go to the big university or college and started
18:53
just learning like to be like some like doctor or something else
19:01
a normal person yeah but for that also you need to sacrifice your life
19:10
to become like successful and now I wish to go to the
19:19
college, but I don't want to spend my life again for something like
19:26
big stuff, you know? Got you. So what was it about MMA that
19:34
made you feel like you could be the most successful? Did fighting just come naturally to you
19:41
and you felt like you just had to learn some new skills? No, not sure. It was not easy, I think. I have big power and a lot of conditioning, but I needed to learn skills, wrestling, striking
20:03
that's why you ask me what is your base i don't have basement i just am a fighter
20:09
and that's why usually like you know why i following wrestlers because usually like
20:18
wrestlers i i mean like wrestlers wrestlers not mma wrestlers they telling like that mma it's not
20:27
hard they're telling like wrestling is the hardest sport in the world like something some stuff like
20:34
that yeah i've heard that but that's that's not true mma is the hardest sport in the world
20:41
and that's why i just want to prove them that they they made like wrong wrong like uh choose
20:50
to come to the MMA. And wrong decision. And I showed it to
20:58
Ryan Loder. He should stay in the wrestling. And next one, like
21:08
Tartan Ninja, I think they will give me a fight with him. Look
21:14
I'm creating a fight for myself. I think the UFC will going to like it
21:20
and will go into give me disappointment and I'm gonna smash him
21:24
And he going to maybe starting like fighting and training better or he gonna just leave
21:34
I'm gonna improve him. You're gonna improve the sport. You're doing it for everyone. Yeah
21:40
No, I love it. You got it. Yeah. That's it. well we appreciate your time thank you so much um we know that you're getting ready to be traveling
21:55
i hope you have a safe trip and i hope you get that call as soon as possible to get back in the
22:00
gym and start training you know that we will be rooting for you thank you so much it was my
22:07
pleasure to talk with you very interesting questions and thank you for having me here
22:11
of course anytime we'll have you back good to see you again you too thank you bye
22:24
ah tag me on