Things could not have gone much better for Makhmud Muradov since leaving the UFC.
Muradov had an inconsistent five-year run in the UFC, having joined 28 fights deep into his career as a professional mixed martial artist.
Before arriving on MMA’s biggest stage and defeating the likes of Alessio Di Chirico and Bryan Barberena, ‘Mach’ collected titles under multiple regional banners.
He was unable to make his way to the gold in the UFC, but it has not taken long for Muradov to return to his title-winning ways away from the Octagon.
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Former UFC fighter Makhmud Muradov knocks out Will Fleury to become a two-division Oktagon MMA champion
A No Contest against Aliaskhab Khizriev in 2024 marked Muradov’s final UFC outing, as he left after accumulating a 4-2 (1 NC) record.
The Uzbek soon put pen to paper on a deal with Europe’s surging Oktagon MMA organization, and he has secured significant success since making that decision.
Two victories earned Muradov a shot at the promotion’s interim middleweight title, which he won with a unanimous decision verdict over Patrik Kincl in June 2025.
On Saturday night, the 36-year-old aimed for more glory up at 205 pounds against Will Fleury, who entered the Oktagon 92 main event as both the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion.
One double champion fell and another was crowned in Prague on August 1, as Muradov overcame immense adversity to have his hand raised.
The former UFC fighter looked to have been knocked out at the end of round one by Fleury, who was riding an 11-fight unbeaten run into his latest title defense.
19 seconds into round two, however, the Irishman had been dethroned after being stunned by a huge overhand right and unable to stop the referee from intervening during Muradov’s subsequent onslaught on the ground.
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WHAT A FINISH!Makhmud Muradov knocks out Will Fleury in round two to win the light heavyweight belt #OKTAGON92If you drafted him in #OKTAGONFantasy, he earned you 4⃣ points! https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ | RTL+ | TVP Sport pic.twitter.com/4TgLDwuT35— OKTAGON (@OktagonOfficial) August 1, 2026
Fleury recorded a heavyweight knockout just over a month ago, successfully defending that title after…
2026-08-02 14:00:00
