— For the third fight in a row, you will fight according to boxing rules, but wearing MMA gloves. What is the beauty of such fights?
— In my opinion, they have a certain flavor.
Yes, most of them are boxing, but to a certain extent they also contain the spirit of mixed martial arts.
And if the fight takes place in a cage, then the result will be an extremely interesting mix.
In any case, the style of the fight and the tonnage of blows change because of the gloves.
And due to the lack of struggle, the taste of fists also appears.
— Boxing and
MMA have long been the flagship types of martial arts; fistfights are also very popular.
In your opinion, can boxing with mixed-fight gloves find its niche in the future?
- Why not?
It all depends on what kind of people will fight according to these rules and promote this type of martial arts.
If famous athletes with weight in the media start doing this, people might become interested.
In fact, the format of the fights is very spectacular.
The length of the round also contributes to this.
Here it is only two minutes, which is why the tempo is quite high.
There is no struggle, no fuss - just hitting.
I think many fans will be curious to watch how MMA stars fight each other, but only in a standing position.
According to rules closer to boxing.
— As you admitted in one of the interviews, a knee injury is preventing you from fighting. And it is because of her that you do not compete in mixed martial arts. Are you still bothered by the damage?
- Only in those moments when I start to struggle.
If there is no grappling in the training process, then I forget about these problems.
I don’t know how my knee will behave if I start exercising in this aspect again, because I had serious ligament injuries - cruciate, anterior, meniscus tear.
- Why didn’t you turn to doctors for help?
- Yes, in theory it would be necessary to repair the knee and have an operation, but so far I have refrained from such a step.
It was not only my decision - I consulted with quite strong surgeons.
And they said, if you pump up your knee, in principle, the muscles will hold it.
But each case is individual.
If this doesn’t interfere with living and performing, then let’s go.
But it’s still better to do without it.
After all, any intervention in the body is a risk.
So I decided to hold off for now.
Now my knee allows me to both train and perform.
And if I have surgery, who knows how everything will turn out.
I need to stay healthy, because now I work on television.
And I really like it.
- But wouldn’t it be more logical then to switch to boxing, where there is also no fighting and the legs are not involved? After all, this is a more popular sport, and the pay is probably much higher.
- I think the difference is not too big.
There's not a lot of money floating around here either.
But if we still talk about the transition, then MMA fighters are not able to compete on equal terms with boxers.
Yes, you can say about Francis Ngannou, but this is rather an exception to the rule.
A very gifted person, he was given the opportunity from above to fight according to any rules.
And he started doing this in his early 20s.
If we talk about the average representatives of mixed martial arts, then it is unrealistic for them to compete with basic boxers.
For example, I myself am now training at the Boxing Progress Center, where both representatives of the Russian national team and pros train.
It's very difficult with them.
Of course, I can jump into some kind of fight, but the likelihood of my winning it will be very small.
I look at things objectively.
Over many, many years of my career I have learned to be a realist.
Not a single UFC champion can survive a duel with an international champion or a master of sports.
— On March 8 in Riyadh, Ngannou will hold his second professional boxing fight, in which he will fight Anthony Joshua. How do you assess the Cameroonian's chances?
— In MMA, no one hits as hard as Ngannou.
He has a cannon-like strike by nature, therefore, he is able to surprise anyone.
In addition, it is also very large.
But if there are no surprises, Joshua will prevail.
— In your opinion, does Ngannou have the strongest punch in
MMA history?
- It seems to me that it is so.
But I myself have been involved in mixed martial arts for a very long time, and I have watched more than enough fights with the participation of other athletes.
— Recently, many have admired Renan Ferreira, who recently knocked out Ryan Bader at a joint
PFL and
Bellator tournament.
Do you think he is inferior to Ngannou in terms of punching power?
— In this fight, the knockout is largely due to perfect timing.
Ferreira caught Bader in oncoming traffic and hit it at just the right moment.
But that's a slightly different story.
Ngannou is able to take his opponent down from any position, he doesn’t have to catch him.
The Cameroonian can deliver a devastating blow in a normal exchange, after emerging from the clinch - anywhere.
He has such cosmic striking power.
— At the same show, Vadim Nemkov fought his first heavyweight fight since 2015, defeating Bruno Cappelozza. How do you assess his prospects in the up to 120 kg division?
— I’ve known Vadim for a very long time—we trained together, competed in combat sambo within the same category.
Nemkov is incredibly strong, a real horse.
He is able to run a lot and quickly, swing, swim, and hit the bag.
His physics is fantastic.
If an athlete with such crazy natural abilities ends up in good hands, the results can be incredible.
And now we see it.
I'm sure it will be very difficult to stop him.
— As many believe, in the heavyweight division Nemkov will dominate many opponents due to speed, endurance and technique. But what should he do when a 203-centimeter monster like Ferreira is in the cage opposite him?
— Weight and height do not always play a decisive role in the battle.
Vadim has such a reserve of strength that he will be enough to fight with any opponent - be he at least 203 cm, at least 220. As you noticed, he will stand out from most heavyweights due to his speed and endurance.
And Nemkov is really capable of fighting for a very long time and at an extremely high pace.
And this could be a problem for his opponents.
Moreover, its strength should not be underestimated.
Yes, he may look noticeably smaller than his opponents, but he is unlikely to be much inferior to them in power.
— After his success, Nemkov announced his desire to fight for the heavyweight title. What goals are you pursuing now if we are talking about a professional career? After all, it’s unlikely that victories over Vladislav Kovalev, Maxim Fedorov and Nikita Solonin can decorate your track record.
— These are still very interesting challenges, and under new rules.
And also great motivation.
After all, when you play professionally for a long time, constantly maintaining shape becomes not so easy.
One way or another, these fights force me to work, control myself, bring me to the peak of my form - both physically and emotionally.
And all means are good for this.
And it doesn’t matter who your opponent will be.
In addition, now this format of fights is very popular in Russia - they are promoted and shown.
And it’s stupid to deny it.
Yes, as a representative of the old school of martial arts, I don’t like new trends, including pop MMA.
But I’m not going to think in this way: “I’m a six-time world champion in combat sambo, why bother with this?”
They offer me money, conditions, why should I refuse?
After all, in these duels I experience the same intensity of emotions as during the final battles at the World Cup.
In fact, there are many examples when former champions of the same UFC moved to other organizations and suffered defeats there from not the most popular opponents.
I myself have witnessed this many times.
For example, at one time former stars of the top leagues were often brought to the “Platforma S-70” combat sambo tournaments.
Many considered it a rather small-town event, given significance only by the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But in reality this was not entirely true.
And many fans came and did not understand that before their eyes the former Bellator champion fell into a knockout.
Of course, the overall level of fights in the UFC and Bellator is higher, but the popularity of the organization and the quality of fights in it are not always directly proportional.
You can’t say that stars fight there, but in other places there are only “bags”.
There are plenty of them there too.
And many of them would not have succeeded in Russian leagues.
— Speaking specifically about the upcoming duel with Kovalev, why is it interesting to you?
- Although he is a representative of pop MMA, he performs well in the same cam.
Before their meeting, Mukhamed Kalmykov was considered almost the best in this event, but Kovalev came out and defeated him.
And then he beat several more strong guys in Hardcore FC.
Vladislav occupies a certain niche; many have heard about him even in the world of mixed martial arts.
And according to some, he is capable of taking over the professionals.
Therefore, I am extremely curious to evaluate his level, to see how good he is.
This is a kind of confrontation between the old school and the new wave.
— You don’t have a very warm attitude towards pop
MMA.
Therefore, do you have a special attitude towards Kovalev?
- Of course, this is a certain motivation, but at my age there are other reasons to enter the cage.
At 35 years old, many people write you off, consider you a downed pilot.
And I want to prove them wrong.
In addition, Kovalev talks a lot, wants to make himself known - such an upstart.
And there is a desire to show who is boss in the house.
— Recently, there have been many fights between professional boxers and MMA fighters. You can recall the battle of the same Dmitry Kudryashov with Vagab Vagabov, Magomed Ismailov with Olanrewaju Durodola. Have you been contacted about this?
— At one time, there were proposals to spend six rounds with Ryan Ford, a former opponent of Fedor Chudinov.
But things didn't go any further.
As a result, the American did not come to us at all.
But as I already said, I didn’t plan to fight current professional boxers.
— How do you feel about kickboxing? After all, now many Russian MMA fighters
are actively trying themselves in this form.
For example, Ivan Shtyrkov.
— Honestly, I never considered the option of performing kickboxing.
I never liked him, not my thing.
In mixed martial arts, I fought mainly on my hands, and I also had the same problems with my knee.
— As you yourself said, literally a month and a half before the fight with Kovalev, you “infiltrated” a psychiatric hospital. What is this story?
— It was filming the next episode of the show “Hunters.”
As part of this, we are engaged in exposing scammers.
For example, for this purpose I can infiltrate a real estate agency under the guise of an employee, or at a construction site as a security guard or handyman.
For example, in that episode he portrayed a patient in order to end up in a psychiatric hospital.
They sent a woman there who was considered incompetent and wanted to force her to sign certain documents.
And I needed to talk to her and warn her not to do this.
— You are far from the least known representative of Russian
MMA.
And there is an extremely high chance that you will simply be recognized.
- Of course, that’s why sometimes you have to disguise yourself.
For example, just a week ago I had to use a wig, before that I had to use a false mustache.
— Didn’t you think of making a joke and going out in this form to fight Kovalev?
- That's a different story
(laughs)
.
I have no need to hide in a cage.
Here I am Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, whom everyone knows.
There's no point in inventing anything.
— Judging by your words, being introduced into a mental hospital was not the most pleasant experience in your life. Surely you have had negative experiences in your sports career.
— About two years ago I went into a fight with Islam Zhangorazov with a temperature of 39.5 °C.
Then I realized that the action was not entirely adequate.
- Was it a cold?
“At first I thought the same thing myself.
It turned out that he had contracted the coronavirus.
After the weigh-in, I felt worse and worse, and in the morning I felt really bad.
I tried to take pills - ibuprofen, ibuclin, but the condition did not improve, and in the evening there was already a fight.
— Why didn’t you withdraw from the tournament?
“It was necessary to do this earlier, at least in the morning, and until the last moment I hoped that everything would work out.”
At that moment, two people were literally fighting inside me.
And when I arrived at the set of the show, I remembered a moment from my favorite film “Legend No. 17.”
When Valery Kharlamov was injured and was in the hospital, Anatoly Tarasov came to him.
A hockey player is depressed and has a bottle of vodka on his table.
And he says: “What difference does it make?
I won’t be able to play against the Canadians.
Life is over."
And the coach answers him: “Valera, whether you can do it or not is up to you to decide.
And no one else."
At that moment I understood perfectly well that I was incapable of boxing in such a state.
I take two steps and immediately begin to feel short of breath.
I take off my T-shirt, and I get chills and incredible weakness.
But just before the battle I remembered that dialogue and decided that I could do it.
And it worked.
Although he fought like a robot, automatically.
I didn’t remember any details of that duel - everything was like a bad dream.
But now I’m no longer afraid of anything.
No temperature below 40 means everything is fine.
— Closing the topic of
MMA, can we say that your career in mixed martial arts is over or is there still hope for a return?
— I don’t rule anything out.
But now my priorities have changed.
If earlier everything was adjusted to sports, now it is to television activities.
And training for MMA fights doesn’t go well with this.
After all, there you need to be prepared for a multi-level duel, designed for at least three rounds of five minutes each.
— If you manage to return, which opponent would you agree to fight, regardless of the size of the fee?
“I’m not 20 years old anymore, so I don’t even think about this.
Who could it be?
— Perhaps it’s time to open a series of questions about Alexander Shlemenko...
- I don’t know what interesting could happen in the next fight with Shlemenko.
If some proposal comes, we could fight.
But personally, I have no desire to fight him again at any cost.
— Last week, Alexander Sarnavsky won the first title in his career, about whom Shlemenko spoke very harshly. In fact, he accused him of treason. What do you think of this story?
“I don’t understand why it was necessary to wash dirty linen in public.”
They were friends for a long time and trained together.
For example, Sarnavsky seconded Shlemenko in a fight with me.
You could say they were a sports family, but something happened and their paths diverged.
That happens.
There are probably fundamental reasons for this.
— In your career, were there any cases when one of your teammates worked against you?
- I think no.
And how will this help my opponent?
Now all fights are in the public domain, you can watch any of them.
Everyone knows how I stand up and how I fight.
To do this, there is no need to send someone to someone else’s camp.
What is so unique that you can see during my sparring?
— In a week,
Magomed Ismailov and Anatoly Tokov will fight in one of the most anticipated fights in Russian MMA.
Who do you think is the favorite?
— An extremely interesting confrontation.
I remember performing at the same M-1 Global tournament where their first meeting took place.
I watched her with my own eyes.
From a sporting point of view, Magomed needs revenge more.
Not even to his audience, MMA fans, but to himself - to stroke his pride, to prove everything to everyone, to put an end to that offensive defeat.
After all, 11 years ago he really gave in very annoyingly, having fallen for that same kimura.
It seems to me that Ismailov wants to prove once again that he is capable of not only being popular and “gassing” on social networks, but also defeating top opponents.
Such as the same Tokov.
According to many, since Anatoly fought in Bellator, it means his level is higher, but Magomed is unlikely to agree with this.
— In your opinion, why does Tokov need this fight?
“I think it’s beneficial for him both financially and in terms of attracting attention.”
After all, this is a loud, hype fight.
I would call Magomed the favorite - about 55 to 45, although Anatoly is able to get out of stalemate situations.
He has a very high fighting IQ, he has proven this many times before.
But Ismailov will be charged.
After all, for him this is a vital confrontation.
The main thing is not to burn out.
— Surely many will be surprised that you chose Ismailov over the former contender for the
Bellator title.
- Why not?
Ismailov also fought with serious guys - yours truly, Shlemenko, Artyom Frolov, Ivan Shtyrkov.
And Anatoly Tokov, let’s say, was inferior to Ramazan Emeev, who did not succeed in the UFC.
I don’t think they have a huge difference in level - it’s not yet clear who is higher.
Yes, Magomed had more media fights, but the opposition was no worse than Anatoly’s in Bellator.
— Don’t you think that Ismailov could very well sell it abroad, in
Bellator as well?
— It’s difficult to say how things would have turned out abroad.
Perhaps he would have conceded once and stopped receiving offers from matchmakers.
Here he made a lot of noise and was actively involved in blogging activities.
In Russia he was and continues to be a household name.
And he earns very serious money, also receiving certain advertising bonuses.
As his practice shows, you can not go to the UFC or Bellator and succeed.