Exclusive Q&A: Bahram Rajabzadeh says he's 'the most popular fighter' in GLORY

After a resounding first-round TKO victory over Brian Douwes, Bahram Rajabzadeh (71-4, 63 KO) is set to fight at GLORY 100, where he will face Asdren Gashi (19-4-1, 9 KO). 

Should advance to the final, he could meet Mory Kromah (32-3-1, 19 KO) or Alin Nechita (17-1, 7 KO).

DAZN News spoke to Rajabzadeh about his ambitions. At 33, he intends to become the next face of the kickboxing organisation. 

DAZN News: You're coming off a resounding victory by TKO in the first round. That's your trademark. Is that still your aim? To finish as quickly as possible?

Bahram Rajabzadeh: Of course. Maybe I know that's my trademark, but I don't know. I will try to do the same, and I will see how I can finish that.

DN: What does it mean to you to fight at GLORY 100?

BR: Glory 1 is the same, 50 is the same, 100 is the same. I don't care. I just love to fight.

DN: What do you think of your opponent, Asdren Gashi?

BR: Nothing.

DN: Any prediction?

BR: It's already a fact that I'm going to become the champion, but I don't think much. I'll just show everything in the ring.

DN: If you win, you'll have a second fight on the same night. Does your game plan change given the context?

BR: Of course, it's very important. One of the aims is not to get injured. That's very important. If I can finish with a knockout, then I will, of course, finish with a knockout, and it will save me time and energy. But if I can't finish with a knockout, but I can win on points, then it's a different story, because I still need to have my condition for the second fight. So it all depends on how the first fight actually goes.

DN: Who do you want in the final?

BR: I actually don't want to say a name because you never know what might happen in such a tournament. I mean, I could give a name and suddenly the person could get injured, or the person could be out of the tournament, or could lose. So all I can say is I would like to meet the strongest and the most worthy in the final.

DN: What's your best division? Light heavyweight or heavyweight?

BR: I love to fight, so my original division is light heavyweight. But since I love to fight, I can say if I only fight at light heavyweight. I would have two or maybe three fights a year, and I love to fight. That's why I also joined the heavyweight division, because then I can go up to 10 fights. If the fights in the heavyweight division also slow down, then I will try to lose weight to 86 kilos, and I will also go into the lighter divisions to fight.

DN: You're one of GLORY's most popular fighters. You're both Turkish and Azerbaijani. You're very close to your fans, especially when you make your entrances. What do they mean to you?

BR: I’m not one of the most popular fighters. I'm the first and I'm the last. I'm the most popular fighter. Second of all, I would like to say that moment is really incredible because when you go up there, when you're close to your fans, and when you make your entrance, I feel everybody’s support. It's not only the Turkish, the Azerbaijani, the Dutch, the Moroccans, the Belgians, or the Germans. You feel the support of everyone. At first, I was always shocked myself when I saw so much love from everybody. But now I just feel more and more proud every day when I come out there.

DN: What is your prediction for the main event, Rico Verhoeven against Artem Vakhitov?

BR: It's very challenging because Artem is a very technical fighter and Rico is a very strong fighter. So the key point will be which one uses their strength in the best manner. If Artem can use his technique better, Artem could win. So all I can say is it's actually a 50/50 match. But with technique, I think Artem might win. With power, I think Rico might win.

DN: Rico will be defending his belt against Artem Vakhitov. Do you dream of a fight against him?

BR: Times have changed because I have a lot of fans now, and right now, it should be that later on, soon, Rico will be a fan of me as well. So he would want to fight me, instead of me wanting to fight him. And that moment will come. The time has turned around, so we are heading in that direction.

DN: What is your prediction for the light heavyweight world title: Tarik Khbabez against Sergej Maslobojev?

BR: I believe Maslobojev is a scared, cautious fighter. When he faces danger or difficulties, he pulls back all the time. He goes backward. But Khbabez fights with his heart. He fights with passion. So I believe that Khbabez will win this match.

DN: What is your ultimate goal in GLORY? To be a double champion in light heavyweight and heavyweight?

BR: Let's start step by step. My first aim is to get the light heavyweight belt, my own division's title. Then I would love to get the heavyweight title, of course, if possible. Even then, if I can reduce my weight below 86 kilos, I want to go for the lighter divisions as well. It will be very difficult, because it's very hard to lose weight in that sense. But if I can do it, I will try to go and get those titles as well.