UFC Kansas City’s most anticipated fighter: The rise of Azamat Murzakanov 

Rising light heavyweight contender Azamat Murzakanov is set for one of his toughest tests in the octagon this weekend as he features on UFC Kansas City's exciting card.

The 34-year-old Russian fighter is currently ranked No.15 in the light heavyweight division and is set to make just his third appearance for the organization. Murzakanov will face heavy-hitting Dustin Jacoby.

'The Professional' earned himself a UFC contract after impressing on Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) with a first-round finish in 2021. Since then, he has stepped inside the octagon twice, with back-to-back third-round finishes to his name. As of now, the Russian is undefeated as a professional (12-0), and only two fights in his career have gone to a decision.

Speaking to the press at the UFC Kansas City media day, Murzakanov was asked about his preparations heading into the fight with Jacoby and what he made of his opponent. The 34-year-old said:

"I feel good. The preparation went well, just as we planned, so everything is great, Thank you for asking...This isn't going to be a kickboxing match [against Jacoby]. This is MMA. We all know that. Jacoby for me is just a regular opponent, nothing much and nothing special."

Catch Azamat Murzakanov's comments (0:30) below:

Dustin Jacoby talks facing Azamat Murzakanov at UFC Kansas City

Dustin Jacoby is excited about the upcoming challenge of trying to be the first man to defeat Azamat Murzakanov in the octagon.

The 35-year-old is heading into their bout this weekend off the back of his first loss since January 2015, losing a narrow split-decision to Khalil Rountree Jr. Prior to that fight, the experienced kickboxer was undefeated in his last 9 bouts, which included three first-round finishes.

Like Murzakanov, 'The Hanyak' sat down with the press earlier this week to discuss one of the biggest challenges of his career so far. The 35-year-old also revealed that him and Marzakanov were meant to face one another on DWCS in 2020. He said:

"It's another tough test man. He's undefeated and ranked behind me. He's going to try and take my ranking and climb that ladder and I've gotta make sure I do my job and keep him from doing so."

He added:

"The interesting thing is I was supposed to fight him for the Contender Series back in August, 2020. I don't know if he had COVID or VISA issues, that fight never materialized. He was certainly on my radar...I think he's a good fighter."

Catch Jacoby's comments here (0:45):