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Brett Ocomoto
Only time Basangur Susurakev Two weeks ago, he did not have a smile on his face, for a few moments in Las Vegas on Tuesday night – when his team tried to tell him that he was not allowed to eat steak.
Susurev knocked out the first round on the “Dana White’s contenders’ series and earned a UFC contract. Naturally, he was in a mood to celebrate, so he went directly from UFC Apex to herbs and rye steakhouse. But when the waiter came to take Susurakev’s order, his team reminded him that UFC worked fiercely to book a battle in the UFC 319 in Chicago on Saturday – four days later.
“I told him that he probably should order a salmon,” Susurakev’s manager Jamie Gall told ESPN this week. “If the UFC gave him a fight, he would have to lose weight on Friday. He felt very sad that I said to the waiter,” Okay, give him a stake, but no salt, no butter, do not even use oil. Just cooked meat. “
But the bile still felt bad. The 24 -year -old Chechnya in Russia, who was working as a food delivery driver less than a month ago, had his dream of signing with the UFC, and what he wanted was a proper stake.
Pitta called his business partner, Dave martinWho was in touch with UFC all night about a possible opening on the UFC 319 card, and asked for an update. The UFC did not respond to its recent messages, Martin told Gall, and was getting late.
“Let him eat,” Martin accepted.
Pitta found the waiter and ordered all this – butter, salt. Throw in a sequence of fries.
But when the team returned to the Palace Station Hotel after meals, Martin called back. The UFC fought for Susurakev in Chicago.
On the morning of Tuesday, August 12, Susasurev was a struggling fighter from the Chechnya Living and Training in South Florida, who fought only twice in the last three years. Four days later, he moved to Ashtakona in front of a rush of a sold-out United Center and in the second round presented his opponent in the second round to become the first person to win the “contenders” bout and a UFC debut in the same week. UFC CEO Dana White declared Susurve’s “DWCS” after winning, “I didn’t get excited about a man in a very long time.”
Susurkaev’s run will go down as one of the greatest weeks in UFC history. Here are the visual details that show how Susurakev came in this moment, and how impressive it is.
Tuesday, August 5
Susurkaev has left MMA several times in the last two years.
He took a risk and moved from Chechenya to America in 2023, out of business due to economic changes arising from Russia-Ukraine war.
“When the war began, less money was being invested in fighters,” Susurakev told ESPN. “So, for me it was, ‘Are I going to live and looking for work or I am going to try?” This was my best friend who told me that I had to do it.
Susurakev and his elder brother, a former professional fighter, Tamarelan traveled to the US and started training in Kil Cliff MMA. Temralan was not going to go to the US initially, but decided that he would have to stay in his brother’s corner as his coach, as he was in Chechnya.
When both had enough money, they lived in a hotel across the road from the gym in Dearfield Beach, Florida. When the money ran less, they slept in a car on one of the lounge chairs in the hotel parking or next to the hotel pool.
Susurakev’s talent was immediately clear. Kill Cliff is the home of some of the best fighters in the world, including former champions. Kamaru Usman, Robbie Laler And Rashad EvansAnd Susurakev was mixed properly on the mat. Many times he was spared with another middleweight in Kill Clif, returned to his hotel, used to play UFC video games and recognized a fighter’s face that he had just rolled.
“I don’t see the quarrel,” said Susurev. “So we will go to choose our players [in the video game] And I would say, ‘Who is this? I was scattered with him today. Who is this man? ,
The issue on which he ran away was a lack of quarrel. Gal and her colleagues at the Mag Agency fought to find her an opportunity. Between the first half of 2024 and 2025, Susurakev fought only twice – Las Vegas Promotion Boroka’s inaugural program and Fury FC.
Susurakev came closer to leaving his dream again due to lack of work, even packing his bags to leave on several occasions. His team saw it weighing them.
“He was great in the gym, but you can tell that he was struggling in life,” Lallor told ESPN. “He will not be in practice. I will ask where he was, and you can tell that the goods were weighing him.
His management team tried to secure a place in this year’s season of “Dana White’s Contendra Series” and failed to secure them, until UFC came out to ask on August 5 whether Susurakev was available to fill for a middleweight, who had taken out of the 12 August match. Time was perfect. Susurakev spent the UFC star in California as a main spring partner in California last month. Khamajat chimavSo he was in shape.
Tuesday, August 12
The first week of season 9 of “DWCS” will go down as one of the worst episodes in the history of the series. The UFC made five quarrels and honored only two contracts, which was the lowest in any episode in more than three years.
The bright place was Susurakev, who knocked out the walk-off, front-kick out in three minutes in the first round.
“My boy,” White told Susurvev, as he announced Susurev’s contract at the end of the show. “You are a complete killer. I like everything about you. We are going to see you [in the UFC] Very soon. “
As White spoke, Susurakev placed four fingers on his right hand, indicating four days to the UFC pay-per-view event in Chicago. Prior to Tuesday’s incident, he told Gal that he had planned to earn a contract and fight on the card similar to Chimav, which was challenging Duli For the Middleweight Championship in the main event. He was so adamant about fighting on the card that he refused to sign the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s document, which prohibits training and competition for minimal seven days after an approved incident to heal medical. Eventually, he signed, and the suspension was forgiven.
Susurakev was already to be held in Chicago, which to please the cheeme, before any of this. He met Cheemo in Chechnya in 2022 and shared the training room with him that year. He remained in touch, and when Cheemav decided to hold the last month of his UFC 319 camp in Huntington Beach, California, he invited Susasurev to join him.
“He is a great inspiration for all of me and Chechnya,” Susurakev said. “In Russia, if you fight for UFC, you are a superstar. And he has reached an incredible level. I saw it with him, and it became my dream.”
UFC informed Susurakev that it had booked him in a UFC battle. The same night he knocked out Murtaza Talha With a kick for liver in the first round. He verbally agreed to make his UFC debut four days later, determined against a rival. He did not know that he would be against the fellow newcomer Eric nolan By Wednesday morning, on its flight to Chicago.
Wednesday, August 13
Susasrev re -joined the UFC 319 fighter hotel in Chicago with his sparring partner, Cheemav, where both Checkens found themselves at the center of meditation.
“It was very strange to me,” Susurev accepted. “There were cameras every minute, you know? When I came to fight, I was ready for everything, but not famous. In the hotel, people wanted pictures with me. It was a big, big meditation.”
Cheemo invited Susurakev to his room that evening to congratulate him – and his credit card. The next day the UFC had added Susasurev to its news conference lineup, and wanted to look good.
“He said,” Go to the store, and buy everything you want, “Susurakev said.
By the end of the night, Susurakev had a new $ 8,000 wardrobe. Cheemo also lended him a designer watch to him, which was a finishing touch for the news conference dress.
“All my life, I never had more than $ 100, $ 200 clothes,” said Susurakev. “I felt as if I was walking out with those clothes.”
Saturday, 16 August
Despite a meal on Tuesday night, Susasrev gained weight on Friday morning, and played his first walk for the UFC Octagon on Saturday night like an extended festival. He smiled in all ways from the tunnel to the Octagon – and smiled after the fight started. It was impossible to remember his elder brother, Tamarelan for walk-in, as he was really jumping into the air.
“I can’t believe it,” Tamlen said. “I could not believe it was real. It felt as if we were living in a playstation game. It was too much. I could not take it all in.”
Susurakev presented Nolan in the second round to win the first submission of his career. Joe Poster interview in the Octagon with Raogen broadcast live on ESPN and has been viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube. Later that evening, Cheemav dominated Du Plessis to become UFC Champions. It is difficult to say that Chechen will be a big evening for MMA anytime.
“In my village, it was crazy, crazy,” said Susurakev. “Like we had won a war or something like this. So many people, meet in the fields, to see in big rooms. It is a good time for all of us in Chechnya.”
It is impossible to ignore the early similarities between Cheemav and Susurakev. Cheemo made his UFC debut on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in 2020 and won the white over by asking to fight twice in 10 days. Susurakev did this in four days and made it one by one.
If you visit Susurakev’s Instagram page, his bio now reads, “Dana’s favorite fighter,” and his record is 10–0. They changed the record First Take a walk on UFC 319 because it was so certain that he would win. Talent and faith never had any problem for Susurakev. And now, UFC should not have the opportunity after one of the greatest weeks in history.
