On March 5th at M-1 Challenge XXIII, relentless Gorec team fighter, Rashid Magomedov, takes aim at Rafal Moks, intent on making a horrific nightmare out of his welterweight debut since relinquishing the 185-pound title. With Moks culminating 2010’s run through the Selection tournament with a golden Cinderella victory over teammate Magomed Sultanakhmedov, Magomedov’s mission is to put an abrupt end Moks’ fairytale and climb a few rungs up the contention ladder.
Rashid Magomedov is one of the brightest and most talented welterweight fighters to come out of Russia in recent years. In 2009, he went undefeated and lead his team to victory through the M-1 Challenge Team Championship competition. Included in his list of wins, is the split-decision victory over current M-1 Challenge welterweight champ, Shamil Zavurov – the champ’s only loss in an extremely decorated professional fighting career.
In the quarterfinals of the 2010 M-1 Selection Eastern Europe tournament, Magomedov suffered his record’s first blemish with a decision loss to Magomedrasul Khasbulaev. Unfazed by the defeat, he returned to immediate action at the Sochi Open European Championships; with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in attendance, Magomedov showcased his one-punch power with a knock-out win over Dan Hope inside the contest’s first minute. Following up with a unanimous decision win over Brazilian jiu jitsu black-belt, Igor Araujo at M-1 Challenge XXI, Magomedov is now set to face Rafal Moks in a bout with serious welterweight title implications.
Should Magomedov walk out the ring victorious, he’ll be keenly watching Zavurov in his first title defense against Tom Gallicchio later that evening as he’ll face one of them in his next outing. Whether he faces the winner in an immediate title shot or the loser in a subsequent contention bout is up to the matchmaker but Magomedov is eager to cement himself as the division’s top contender.
Fans can catch the action from the Crocus City arena in Moscow, Russia on Saturday, March 5th by tuning in to the official live stream on M-1 Global website, www.M-1Global.com at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.