Ali Saldoev

While one of Ali Saldoev’s loves has been riding horses in the mountains of Russia, his greatest passion has always been Muay Thai.

Born in Tajikistan in 2000, Saldoev left his native country at the age of 14 and moved to Russia with his parents and three other siblings for a chance at a better life. 

In his younger days, he was like any other child, playing football on the streets with his friends. The competitive fire was clearly inside him, which began to spill out during football games during his teenage years. Saldoev often found himself getting into fights over disputes in the matches. 

It was clear the Tajikistani native needed a better outlet to channel his aggression, and that’s where Muay Thai entered his life.

Saldoev was taken to a gym by his uncle, and combat sports immediately impressed him. He saw his uncle hitting pads and sparring, and a fire quickly burned inside of Saldoev. He knew it was what he wanted to do.

He began training at Golden Fighting Club in Yekaterinburg where his early introduction in martial arts got under way. Later, Saldoev moved to Archangel Michael Fight Club where his talents began to evolve. 

Since then, Saldoev has competed in both Muay Thai and MMA, going unbeaten in both sports and capturing the flyweight Muay Thai title under the RCC banner.

Given that he also trains alongside ONE Championship veterans Vladimir Kuzmin and Tagir Khalilov, Saldoev will certainly arrive ready when he makes his promotional debut at ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1, against Zakaria El Jamari in a flyweight Muay Thai showdown.