Marat Gafurov on the importance of family

Marat Gafurov may be one of the most feared featherweight competitors in ONE Championship, but the former world champion says his priorities are always set in stone.

“Family first,” the 33-year-old stated.

“I love martial arts and it means the world to me, but nothing comes close to my family.”

Gafurov’s own upbringing was far from ideal. As a young boy, he was placed in the care of his grandparents when his parents relocated to Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala. Despite missing his parents hugely at the time, Gafurov reflects on that period of his life in a very matter-of-fact manner.

“My mom and dad had other priorities, so they left for the big city to make money and left me behind,” he said.

“I moved back with them when I was 15. I do not blame them. This is how our family life turned out.

“Of course, I wanted to be with my parents. Every kid wants to be cared for by their parents. I felt hurt and resentful back then. But time goes on. I am a man now.”

Despite being emotionally hurt by his situation, Gafurov’s attitude helped forge the mentally-strong character we see today.

“In Dagestan,” he said, “people respect you only if you are strong.”

He eventually reunited with his parents in Makhachkala as a 15 year old, but the bond with his parents was no longer there.

“I was used to living almost by myself, in my own world,” he said, sadly.

“I became my own person, and it was hard to adjust to living with mom and dad. I hardly knew them.

“It made me who I am now; a person who is responsible for his own words and actions, a person who relies on himself. It made me stronger inside.”

It was also around that time when Gafurov started his martial arts journey. He started out at Amanat Fight Club, where, introduced by his father, he took up martial arts and found success, winning the Dagestan BJJ Championship, World FILA titles in Grappling and Pankration, and a Russian ADCC Grappling Title. 

Later he would join the ranks of ONE Championship and become the ONE Featherweight World Champion.

Now blessed with a wife and a three-year-old son, Gafurov is determined to provide the stable family unit he never had as a youngster, using his gift for martial arts to help provide for his family in the best possible way.

Sometimes that means being away from home in training camp, but Gafurov says there’s no danger of him ever leaving his family behind.

“I would never be able to leave my son for long,” he admitted.

“I can last for about a month, when I am away. After that, it becomes unbearable.”

Gafurov said he wants to guide his son and “keep him away from bad company, and give him a good start in life,” and has even started bringing him to the dojo to start his own martial arts journey.

“My boy can walk, therefore he is good enough to start training,” he said.

“Dagestan is well-known for its wrestling, but we started with judo. He seems to like it a lot.

“I am training him for life. Sport taught me to be hardworking and focused. These are good qualities to have in any profession. My son will choose to be whatever he wants to be.”

Gafurov’s next competitive matchup will see him test his skills against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a Grappling Super-Match at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE in Jakarta, Indonesia on 20 January.

Inspired by his family, “Cobra” will look to score another notable win before making a run back towards his old title later in the year.