Olympic Bronze Medalist Abdurakhmonov Is Soaring in His Mixed Martial Arts Career: Renowned Boxing Trainer Joe Lake Is in the Champion’s Corner

There is an Olympic bronze medalist wrestler living in the Boston area who is taking the world of Mixed Martial Arts by storm.

Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, who resides in Watertown, will take a 6-0 record into his next MMA fight June 16 as he continues his training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Abdurakhmonov, who is 5-feet-11 and 163 pounds, won a bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo after reaching the bronze medal match in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Aburakhmanov is also a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Harvard. His brother, Muzaffar Abdurakhmonov, is an assistant coach for the Crimson.

“I want to compete in this (MMA) fight, and then in September, I’ll be in the World (Freestyle Wrestling) Championships, which is a qualifier for the Olympics,” explained Abdurakhmonov. “Then I’ll seek more MMA fights. Once I’m done wrestling, I’ll return to MMA fighting.”

Abdurakhmonov, who was twice voted athlete of the year in his homeland of Uzbekistan, a nation of 35 million people, has enlisted the aid of renowned boxing trainer, Joe Lake, in his career. Lake, who guided middleweight boxer Dana Rosenblatt’s championship ascension, has been working with Abdurakhamov at Combat Sports in Boston.

“I my opinion, Joe Lake is one of the greatest boxing coaches of all time,” said Abdurakhamov. “He’s been with us since the beginning. He’s not just a coach, he’s a great person. You need a coach and mentor that just doesn’t teach you boxing – he has to be able to balance your workouts. Joe has the wisdom to structure my training sessions, so overall, he’s the best guy to have around.”

Lake is excited about his fighter’s superior skill and athleticism and the work ethic he brings each day to the gym.

“He won the bronze medal in a very tough division in the Olympics, and now he’s hoping to win the gold,” said Lake. “He’s a two-time athlete of the year in Uzbekistan, so he has a lot of credentials. He’ll probably be the most highly decorated, active wrestler fighting in the UFC when they sign him. And I’m expecting a victory in September [in the World Championships]. One thing about working with Bek, he gives you 110 percent. He’s very respectful. He comes to the gym and he works hard.”

And together, Bek and Joe, are advancing to Olympic gold and MMA superstardom

Appreciates His Brother’s Shining Example

Abdurakhmonov also credits his brother for his phenomenal career in wrestling and his entrance into MMA.

“He’s the reason I’m involved in all of this,” said Abdurakhmonov. “He’s the reason I got involved in wrestling and MMA. All this stuff I’m doing, he has done, so I took after him. When he was wrestling for the world championship in my hometown (his brother won the silver medal), I was there with my family and friends rooting for him. That’s how I got excited and began wrestling.”