Azerbaijani female MMA fighter: "I knew I would force my opponent to submit with a chokehold"

I knew I would force my opponent to submit with a chokehold during the fight.

This was stated by Azerbaijani MMA fighter Zumrud Guliyeva in her statement to "Report".

The 18-year-old athlete, representing the ASED organization and the "Simral" club, commented on her intense fight with local athlete Rusalina Mulikova at the tournament held in Kazakhstan yesterday:

"We trained every day with my coaches Simral Mammadov and Eynulla Samadov. While preparing for the fight in Kazakhstan, I worked on chokeholds every day. I knew I would force my opponent to submit with a chokehold during the fight. Although the opponent briefly gained the upper hand during the fight, the situation later changed in my favor, and thank God, I won."

The young athlete stated that she had previously received an invitation to wrestling:

"Initially, some wrestling coaches wanted to see me in their teams. They stated that they would prepare me and help me get into the national team. However, I did not agree. Even my acquaintances and some coach-teachers said that MMA is not a sport suitable for women, and there is little chance of becoming famous in this sport. However, I do not regret not giving up MMA."

Z. Guliyeva said she believes she will achieve new successes in MMA in the future:

"The competition in Kazakhstan was a good start for me. I do not intend to be satisfied. We continue our training in the hall located in Sumgayit. Along with me, several athletes are also preparing for competitions. God willing, my future will be even better. I think that women in MMA can become famous and move forward faster than men."

It should be noted that Zumrud Guliyeva, who competed within the framework of "Octagon-69", defeated Rusalina Mulikova in the 52.2 kg weight category in the first round.