Pictured above: Tajikistan’s Muhammadjon Naimov (right) alongside coaches Bakhtier Khodjaev and Dilshod Juraev A representative of the Central Asian region, Team Tajikistan has made its first visit to a major IMMAF Championship event. The Tajikistan MMA Federation began its IMMAF journey on April 6 with Featherweight contender Muhammadjon Naimov competing in Las Vegas at the #2016IMMAFWorlds during UFC International Fight Week™. Muhammadjon Naimov may still be relatively untested as an amateur MMA athlete, but elsewhere Naimov has gathered a multitude of experience in combat sport, notably kickboxing. As the lone representative of 8 million Tajiks, and with coaches Bakhtier Khodjaev and Dilshod Juraev in his corner, Naimov beat the odds in inspired fashion with a devastating knockout victory over Italian Antonio Lerose (4-1). Naimov next meets Team UK’s Shoaib Yousaf who himself has produced a pair of highlight victories over Norway’s Ole Johnny Eriksen and Portugal’s Paulo Covas. Other victorious athletes of Day 2 of competition included Defending Welterweight world champion Will Starks, plus European Open Gold medal winners Rostem Akman, Daniel Galabarov and Abdul Hussein. Click HERE to view the daily results.]]>
