Latest news with #Musayev
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former RIZIN, Bellator star Tofiq Musyaev signs with UFC for debut vs. Myktybek Orolbai
Former RIZIN, Bellator star Tofiq Musyaev signs with UFC for debut vs. Myktybek Orolbai Former RIZIN and Bellator star Tofiq Musayev is headed to the UFC. His debut is already set, and it'll be in his home country. Musayev (22-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will take on Myktybek Orolbai (13-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a three-round lightweight bout at UFC on ABC 8. The event takes place June 21 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Musyaev, 35, has not competed since November 2023. He rose to notoriety in RIZIN with five straight wins, including a tournament championship. In the final, he defeated Patricky Freire. After a loss to Roberto de Souza, Musayev signed with Bellator and went 1-1 under the promotion's banner. Following the Bellator-PFL merger, Musayev returned to RIZIN and won back-to-back fights. He then signed with GFL, but the MMA league never got off the ground. Orolbai, 27, aims to bounce back from a carnage-filled war vs. Mateusz Rebecki in October. The bout earned Fight of the Night and saw both men bloodied and battered. Orolbai lost a split decision, which marked his first UFC defeat. His first two UFC fights were wins vs. Uros Medic and Elves Brener. Current UFC on ABC 8 lineup
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Signs MMA Fighter With Khabib and Islam Makhachev's Coach in His Corner
The UFC has added a new fighter to its lightweight division with the signing of Tofiq Musayev. The 35-year-old is a knockout artist and has a reputation for international success and devastating finishes inside the cage. A native of Azerbaijan, Musayev boasts a professional record of 22-5, including 18 of those victories via knockout. Advertisement He made his splash in Japan's promotion RIZIN and won the 2019 Lightweight Grand Prix by beating Johnny Case and Patricky "Pitbull" Freire on the same evening. Moreover, he also had a short but impressive stint in Bellator. What is so interesting about this signing is Musayev's newfound training partnership with world-renowned MMA coach Javier Mendez. For those unaware, he is the same coach responsible for the careers of ex-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Currently training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Musayev surrounded himself with top-level talent and guidance as he gets ready for his UFC debut sometime soon. Advertisement Prior to signing with the UFC, Musayev also fought for the Global Fight League, competing for Dubai along with veteran UFC performer Damir Ismagulov. With his combat background from top worldwide promotions and now learning from a living legend, Musayev is sure to be a thrilling addition to one of the deepest divisions of the UFC. However, life for Musayev certainly won't be easy in the UFC. The lightweight division in the UFC has some of the best fighters on the planet and despite being a veteran in the sport, there is an argument of him not having faced fighters on this level. Related: Boxing Fans Fact-Check Jake Paul for His Wrongful Gervonta Davis Claim
Jordan Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Jordan Times
Less Soviet, more inspiring: Kyrgyzstan seeks new anthem
Renowned composer and head of the department of musicology and composition at the Kyrgyz National Conservatory, Balasaguyn Musayev, who participates in a competition to create a new national anthem for Kyrgyzstan, attends an AFP interview in Bishkek on April 4 (AFP photo) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan is getting rid of its Soviet-inspired national anthem and has launched an unprecedented public contest to find an alternative. The mountainous Central Asian country adopted a new anthem in 1992 after independence from the USSR but it is largely based on the Soviet-era one. The government says the anthem fails to accurately represent the young nation descending from the ancient history of the nomadic Kyrgyz people. The Kyrgyz were incorporated into first then Tsarist and then the Soviet empires and the country still retains a strong Russian influence. 'Winning this competition would be a huge success,' said Balasaguyn Musayev, a 36-year-old composer and one of hundreds who have submitted entries for a new national anthem. Speaking during a rehearsal at the music conservatory in the capital Bishkek, Musayev said it took him a month to find inspiration and then he 'wrote the music in two days'. 'The new anthem must be better than the previous one in every way. Otherwise people will wonder why we changed it,' Musayev told winner of the contest was due to have been announced in April but the contest rules were modified and it is now unclear when an announcement could be expected.'State in our own right' Soliciting ideas from the public is a rarity in Central Asia, where Kyrgyzstan's more competitive political system is an exception among its authoritarian neighbours. On a global scale, a complete change of the national anthem without a radical change of the political regime is also exceptional. In recent years, Australia, Austria and Canada have replaced some words in their anthems to promote greater gender and ethnic inclusivity. Kyrgyzstan's unusual decision is part of a series of measures to overhaul state symbols taken by President Sadyr Japarov, who has been in power since 2021. Following a constitutional reform in 2021 that strengthened his powers, Japarov changed the sun on the Kyrgyz flag at the end of 2023 so that it no longer resembled a sunflower, arguing that this would strengthen national sovereignty. He has achieved a number of successes in his time in office including boosting economic growth and fighting corruption but rights groups are concerned about growing pressures on civil society. Japarov has said that the anthem's lyrics about the Kyrgyz people being 'on the road to freedom' does not reflect the country's historic reality after more than three decades of independence. 'Are we going to sing for another hundred years that we have just become independent? We have a state in our own right now, and we need to write an anthem that will inspire young people and future generations,' he said last year. Officials have also been critical of the current anthem for other reasons. Parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev said it was so bad that 'birds fly away' when they hear it. He said the next one should 'stimulate the country towards development' and be 'easy to sing'. But Nurzhyguit Moldoyar, a 25-year-old composer and vocalist who has also submitted an entry, said the current one was already 'a masterpiece'. 'The bar is very high,' he said, adding that he would not have wanted to change the anthem. He said he hoped the winner would be selected based on 'the feelings felt when listening to it, the musical novelties and sincerity'.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Less Soviet, More Inspiring: Kyrgyzstan Seeks New Anthem
Kyrgyzstan is getting rid of its Soviet-inspired national anthem and has launched an unprecedented public contest to find an alternative. The mountainous Central Asian country adopted a new anthem in 1992 after independence from the USSR but it is largely based on the Soviet-era one. The government says the anthem fails to accurately represent the young nation descending from the ancient history of the nomadic Kyrgyz people. The Kyrgyz were incorporated into first then Tsarist and then the Soviet empires and the country still retains a strong Russian influence. "Winning this competition would be a huge success," said Balasaguyn Musayev, a 36-year-old composer and one of hundreds who have submitted entries for a new national anthem. Speaking during a rehearsal at the music conservatory in the capital Bishkek, Musayev said it took him a month to find inspiration and then he "wrote the music in two days". A poet friend wrote the text. "The new anthem must be better than the previous one in every way. Otherwise people will wonder why we changed it," Musayev told AFP. The winner of the contest was due to have been announced in April but the contest rules were modified and it is now unclear when an announcement could be expected. Soliciting ideas from the public is a rarity in Central Asia, where Kyrgyzstan's more competitive political system is an exception among its authoritarian neighbors. On a global scale, a complete change of the national anthem without a radical change of the political regime is also exceptional. In recent years, Australia, Austria and Canada have replaced some words in their anthems to promote greater inclusivity. Kyrgyzstan's unusual decision is part of a series of measures to overhaul state symbols taken by President Sadyr Japarov, who has been in power since 2021. Following a constitutional reform in 2021 that strengthened his powers, Japarov changed the sun on the Kyrgyz flag at the end of 2023 so that it no longer resembled a sunflower, arguing that this would strengthen national sovereignty. He has achieved a number of successes in his time in office including boosting economic growth and fighting corruption but rights groups are concerned about growing pressures on civil society. Japarov has said that the anthem's lyrics about the Kyrgyz people being "on the road to freedom" does not reflect the country's historic reality after more than three decades of independence. "Are we going to sing for another hundred years that we have just become independent? We have a state in our own right now, and we need to write an anthem that will inspire young people and future generations," he said last year. Officials have also been critical of the current anthem for other reasons. Parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev said it was so bad that "birds fly away" when they hear it. He said the next one should "stimulate the country towards development" and be "easy to sing". But Nurzhyguit Moldoyar, a 25-year-old composer and vocalist who has also submitted an entry, said the current one was already "a masterpiece". "The bar is very high," he said, adding that he would not have wanted to change the anthem. He said he hoped the winner would be selected based on "the feelings felt when listening to it, the musical novelties and sincerity".
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Less Soviet, more inspiring: Kyrgyzstan seeks new anthem
Kyrgyzstan is getting rid of its Soviet-inspired national anthem and has launched an unprecedented public contest to find an alternative. The mountainous Central Asian country adopted a new anthem in 1992 after independence from the USSR but it is largely based on the Soviet-era one. The government says the anthem fails to accurately represent the young nation descending from the ancient history of the nomadic Kyrgyz people. The Kyrgyz were incorporated into first then Tsarist and then the Soviet empires and the country still retains a strong Russian influence. "Winning this competition would be a huge success," said Balasaguyn Musayev, a 36-year-old composer and one of hundreds who have submitted entries for a new national anthem. Speaking during a rehearsal at the music conservatory in the capital Bishkek, Musayev said it took him a month to find inspiration and then he "wrote the music in two days". A poet friend wrote the text. "The new anthem must be better than the previous one in every way. Otherwise people will wonder why we changed it," Musayev told AFP. The winner of the contest was due to have been announced in April but the contest rules were modified and it is now unclear when an announcement could be expected. - 'State in our own right' - Soliciting ideas from the public is a rarity in Central Asia, where Kyrgyzstan's more competitive political system is an exception among its authoritarian neighbours. On a global scale, a complete change of the national anthem without a radical change of the political regime is also exceptional. In recent years, Australia, Austria and Canada have replaced some words in their anthems to promote greater gender and ethnic inclusivity. Kyrgyzstan's unusual decision is part of a series of measures to overhaul state symbols taken by President Sadyr Japarov, who has been in power since 2021. Following a constitutional reform in 2021 that strengthened his powers, Japarov changed the sun on the Kyrgyz flag at the end of 2023 so that it no longer resembled a sunflower, arguing that this would strengthen national sovereignty. He has achieved a number of successes in his time in office including boosting economic growth and fighting corruption but rights groups are concerned about growing pressures on civil society. Japarov has said that the anthem's lyrics about the Kyrgyz people being "on the road to freedom" does not reflect the country's historic reality after more than three decades of independence. "Are we going to sing for another hundred years that we have just become independent? We have a state in our own right now, and we need to write an anthem that will inspire young people and future generations," he said last year. Officials have also been critical of the current anthem for other reasons. Parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev said it was so bad that "birds fly away" when they hear it. He said the next one should "stimulate the country towards development" and be "easy to sing". But Nurzhyguit Moldoyar, a 25-year-old composer and vocalist who has also submitted an entry, said the current one was already "a masterpiece". "The bar is very high," he said, adding that he would not have wanted to change the anthem. He said he hoped the winner would be selected based on "the feelings felt when listening to it, the musical novelties and sincerity". aj-bk/dt/giv
