Video for the main battle of UFC 242 and Nurmagomedov's place in the ranking
On September 7th, the UFC 242 tournament will be held in Abu Dhabi, which promises to be one of the main events of the year in mixed martial arts. His main event will be a duel between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Porrier - the lightweight champion title will be at stake. For the Russian, this fight will be the second defense of the belt, and for the American - a chance to win the biggest victory in his career.
While the athletes are intensely preparing for the fight, the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) is actively engaged in its promotion. So, two and a half weeks before the tournament, the organization’s press service published a promotional video representing both participants in the battle. Both athletes deserved flattering words, but it was the current holder of the belt that was especially praised.
“In lightweight, there has never been one like Habib. He afflicts people. Nurmagomedov is too good. This guy carries everyone, ”says the Russian athlete.
Porrier himself admits that his counterpart is a more skillful athlete, but at the same time notes that he “breaks people” better than others.
“Porrier is a phenomenal puncher and he deservedly took his position, but Nurmagomedov is the most dominant fighter in the history of this sport,” the American is said.
However, the minute video ends with the words of Nurmagomedov. Habib’s phrase, in which he promised to “crush his opponent,” was taken as the final one.
Interestingly, Nurmagomedov will be suitable for the fight at UFC 242 in the status of the second number in the rating of fighters, regardless of the weight category (Pound-for-pound). This happened after the previous general classification leader Daniel Cormier lost to Stipe Miočić and lost the heavyweight champion title. The American rolled back to seventh line, and in his place was his worst enemy, John Jones. The Russian has risen one step, but very soon he can take another step and go around the legendary light heavyweight.
Challenge McGregor and Shevchenko
Last week, former UFC champion in two weight categories, Conor McGregor, again burst into the media space, becoming the most talked about MMA fighter in the world. True, this did not happen on the most pleasant occasion - because of an incident in one of Dublin's pubs. A video appeared on the network, which shows how MacGregor hits the face of an elderly visitor to an institution and hides from the scene.
As it turned out, the video is dated April 2019, and an investigation is underway in this case. Many managed to condemn McGregor for such behavior - from the head of the UFC Dana White to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the Irish boxer Luke Keeler took this most to heart. On his Twitter page, he admitted that he was sad to see such actions from his compatriot and added that several years ago Conor also acted with his friend.
Keeler said that he called for McGregor to fight, after which he began to tirelessly publish on his page all kinds of appeals to the ex-UFC champion. According to him, he even personally called him and agreed to fight in the ring. But according to Luke, Conor is unlikely to keep his word.
And this is not surprising. McGregor has long taught everyone that he values trophies and money in the first place. The fight with the little-known Keeler can not provide him with either one or the other, which practically puts an end to the prospects of organizing this battle. Conor is currently recovering from injury and waiting for a suitable offer from the UFC.
The story continues around the possibility of holding the first ever battle between a man and a woman. Last week, UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko was shocked to receive a call from Henry Sehudo, the holder of belts in two categories. The American said that he wants to become the first inter-gender champion in the history of mixed martial arts and suggested that a native of Kyrgyzstan measure their strength in the octagon.
At first, the girl did not understand the seriousness of the athlete's intentions, so she was skeptical of his words. At the same time, Valentina said that she was able to get the better of Henry, and later posted on Instagram collages that are directly related to a possible battle. On one of them, the athletes allegedly hold a duel of looks at the weigh-in ceremony, and on the other, she hits the face of her potential opponent.
Sehudo’s reaction was not long in coming. The Beijing Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling again turned to Shevchenko, but this time outlined another additional condition for the fight.
“I am against you. The main battle of UFC 246. The title of inter-gender champion is at stake. The loser pays for dinner, ”Sehudo wrote on Twitter.
Me vs. You. UFC 246 main event. Inter gender title on the line. Loser buys dinner. https://t.co/1nGd1FQouh
- Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 20, 2019New Shlemenko fight and Yandiev’s injury
The first-ever Russian Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko will return to the ring on September 5th. As it became known, he will hold his next match at the Roscongress Vladivostok Combat Night tournament, held as part of the V Eastern Economic Forum. The rival of the athlete will be American Chris Hanikatt, known for his performances at the Bellator and the American regional promotion Up and Comers Unlimited (UPC).
For Shlemenko this fight will be the third in nine months. After leaving Bellator, he played twice at RCC tournaments, where he alternately prevailed over Jonas Billstein and Wiskardi Andrade. Both were never MMA stars, but managed to light up in the United States. So, the German’s track record has four fights in the Scott Cocker promotion (2: 2), while the Brazilian has the same number in the UFC. True, the native of Zhalis was somewhat more successful, having gained the upper hand in three out of four fights. In addition, one of his “victims” in the Absolute Fighting Championship was Russian Hasan Umalatov.
As for Hanikatta, then during his career he spent 14 fights, in 11 of which he turned out to be stronger. Especially noteworthy are his victories over Paul Bradley and Kevin Casey, who had experience performing in the largest MMA promotion in the world. His most stellar opponent is the current Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. Chris gave way to him by unanimous decision.
Moreover, we can safely say that Hanikatt is an extremely uncomfortable opponent for Shlemenko. Alexander was never famous for his skills in the stalls, and his future counterpart specializes in wrestling. So, at school he was the champion of Massachusetts, and later was part of the junior national team of the United States and was listed in the first division according to the All-American version.
In the past, Shlemenko already experienced serious problems in battles with opponents of this type. It is enough to recall his battles with Brandon Halsey, Tito Ortiz and Hector Lombard. If a Russian allows an opponent to carry out takedowns (transfers to the ground) and keep him on the ground, then he will have a very difficult time. A stand-up fight is advantageous for Alexander, because in it he surpasses Chris utterly.
Meanwhile, the second fight of Adam Yandiyev in the UFC is being postponed. A famous Russian athlete was supposed to perform at the September tournament in Abu Dhabi, but was injured.
“In preparation for the battle, I injured my knee. Hoping that this is insignificant, he taped his leg, put on a knee pad and continued to train, ”Yandiev wrote on Instagram.
According to the athlete, this approach cost him a long recovery period. At one of the classes, he "broke the ligament, and the titanium bolt that was in the knee after the last operation damaged the bone." In this regard, Yandiev had to go to surgery and lose his chance to perform in the UAE.