As the lights dim and the audience erupts in anticipation, Stanislav Rakov prepares to enter a different mentality.
The bell dings and the fight starts. He is now locked in.
Rakov, a junior elementary education major is a mixed martial arts fighter who has competed in various fighting styles over the years, with his recent passion being in MMA cage fighting.
He began his journey in MMA cage fighting in 2019, with his first fight being in 2022. Since then, he has competed in eight amateur matches, gaining a record of 4-4.
Rakov has fought for various venues such as Cage Titans, Flex Fight Series and New England Fights. He says booking venues is where the fight begins for him.
“After my coach puts my name in for an event, we think about what I’m going to do, make a game plan and then I just up the [training] intensity in the weeks leading up [to the fight],” Rakov says.
He then begins to cut weight down for the fight. He says he usually stops eating carbs and salting his food. The day before a fight, he does anything to make him sweat out the last couple of pounds before rehydrating.
“I walk around [normally] at 150 pounds, but when I’m cutting weight, I’m 135 pounds,” Rakov says. “It sucks. But I’ve done it enough to know how to do it and manage it.”
While he is cutting weight, he is still doing his intense workout routine at the Fighting Arts Academy in Milford. Rakov goes to the gym on Monday through Saturday, training with sparring partners and his coaches, Nick Newell and Roger Denton.
Coach Newell was born with one arm and has had an established career as a professional MMA fighter, having a record of 16-4. Rakov says Newell is his biggest inspiration when it comes to fighting.
“Any excuses I ever have, don’t compare to what he had to go through,” Rakov says. “Thats probably who I look up to the most.”
Newell describes Rakov as a “dedicated” and “intelligent” fighter. He says the growth Rakov has made in such a short time has been amazing to watch.
“He’s always the hardest worker in the room,” Newell says. “He invests so much time into his training and doesn’t get sidetracked by outside factors like other fighters.”
Rakov’s workout routine usually consists of learning striking combinations, sparring and grappling strategies. He works with Newell on how to compete and setting goals. Denton works with him on perfecting techniques and gives guidance on how he can improve as a fighter.
With sparring partners, he learns how to implement techniques taught by Newell and Denton. One of his sparring partners, Jake Russo, says working with Rakov has been great.
“He is always extremely focused and striving to be the best which rubs off on [all] his sparring partners,” Russo says.
He says Rakov has taught him discipline and dedication, being one of the hardest fighters he has ever worked with.
“I’ve seen him grow into a completely well-rounded dangerous fighter,” says Russo.
Rakov says sparring with partners is what makes him prepare the best for fights, as he implements what he learns in practice in actual fights.
“It’s such a primal thing to [spar] someone and when you come back and do it again the next day, you end up forming a really close bond,” he says.
Missing training is something Rakov tries not to do. Controlled combat helps him deal with his mental health in a more constructive manner than other less savory alternatives.
“If I didn’t have an outlet to be violent, I probably wouldn’t be a great person,” Rakov says.
When the day of a fight approaches, things switch mentally for Rakov as he says he becomes stone cold.
“I would love to see the differences between right now and right when I’m about to fight,” he says.
As he enters a match, he goes in trying to get the win by throwing fast striking combinations and leg kicks.
“It’s about implementing what I learn in sparring sessions,” he says. “When I go into fight night, my instincts are usually primed up for whatever techniques get thrown at me.”
He says his most notable fight was on Nov. 12, 2023, where he got a first-round knockout.
“It was just a good match; I didn’t take any damage. I tore them apart and got the finish,” he says.
His quickest match was in February 2023. Rakov finished the bout with simultaneous leg kicks to the head, getting a 51 second knock out.
“Once you get into the ring, if you’re not having fun when you’re in there then you shouldn’t be in there,” he says. “It’s always an adrenaline rush every fight.”
Rakov strives to always go off instincts to do whatever he can to secure a victory, aspiring to become a UFC world champion someday.
However, losing a match is a demotivator for him. He lost his first amateur fight by getting put into a submission hold in the first round. He says this experience was embarrassing for him.
“I remember shadow boxing in my room and was saying I don’t want to do this anymore. Those feelings come and go. I know I want to do this regardless,” says Rakov.
He describes a loss in fighting as an emotional experience because fighters have an ego and image they want to protect. But also, because he invites family and friends to come see him perform.
Win or lose, he still encourages people to try martial arts and MMA. He says exercise and self-defense are skills people should possess.
His family has grown to support him in his cage fighting career. At first, they were nervous about the potential injuries. He says his mother dislikes the cauliflower ear that has become a part of his appearance.
“I put in the work, and they noticed that. Obviously, it’s hard for them to watch but they’re still trying to be very supportive,” he says.
As a young kid, Rakov had a lot of energy. His parents wanted him to do something, so they introduced him to karate at the age of five.
“I’ve always found predator and prey relationships cool; I find war and history cool; I just like combat. I’ve always been very passionate about it,” Rakov says.
Rakov got his start in Shaolin Kempo Karate, which is a mix between Chinese Kung Fu and Japanese Karate. After earning his black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, he dabbled in the realm of boxing and kick boxing.
His older sister, Alex Rakov took some of these classes with him. She says they both shared a striking background, as she also earned a black belt in karate and a blue belt in Brazilian Ju jitsu.
“We both learned a lot from one another,” she says.
Due to Covid-19, their karate dojo shut down. From there he went to fight at the FFA, learning jujitsu and cage fighting.
Although she stopped training seriously several years ago, he continued to train in various fighting styles trying to master as many as he can.
“I think Stan is inspired to fight intrinsically,” she says. “He fights for himself and that’s what drives him.”
He strives to continue in the sport, fighting and being a children’s coach at the FAA. He has been coaching kids’ classes for four years. He coaches them in striking; teaching them techniques in punching, kicking and kneeing.
“I love coaching just as much as being coached. It benefits me because teaching it to someone helps me understand [fighting] on a deeper level,” he says. “It’s rewarding, but also fun.”
“I put in the work, and they noticed that, so they’re very supportive now, obviously it’s hard for them to watch but they’re very supportive.”
