Autograph session, the secret of Khabib’s greatness and the public in Abu Dhabi: four days are left before the Nurmagomedov-Porje fight

There are four days left before the title fight of the Absolute Fighting Championship in lightweight, in which Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Porie will meet. Opponents began the final stage of preparation, which is more concentrated on weight loss.

Of course, such a grand event as the UFC 242 tournament is not limited to one evening. Athletes traditionally participate in numerous events for fans and the press, give out interviews in which they share their expectations of the upcoming fights, and also conduct autograph sessions. One of them was attended by Russian and American.

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Publication by ufc (@ufc) Sep 3, 2019 at 12:00 pm PDT

On the eve of the second defense of the UFC lightweight title, Nurmagomedov shared his recipe for greatness. In his opinion, only a fighter who managed to win several victories in a row and not interrupt his triumph series for a long time can be considered a true champion.

“If you lose several times, you win one title, the second, you lose again, then you win again, then this does not make you great. In my opinion, a great win-win series makes you great, ”quoted MMAJunkie from Russia.

The athlete added that it was for this reason that he did not intend to change the weight category, in which he currently won 27 victories in 27 fights.

“I will not concentrate on the welterweight or featherweight division, only on the average. This is exactly my weight, and all fights will take place within its framework. I don’t need changes, ”Nurmagomedov added.

Meanwhile, the father and part-time coach of the Russian Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov arrived in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. He did not attend his duel with Irish Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, as he was denied a U.S. visa. At the UFC 242 tournament, the specialist will act as a second not only for his son, but also for another representative of the light weight category, Russian Islam Makhachev.

If the Nurmagomedov team has yet to get comfortable in Abu Dhabi, then Porrier has fully adapted to new conditions for himself. Many assume that the sympathy of the fans will be on the side of the Russian. At the same time, the American himself admitted that his opinion on this Arab country changed significantly after he felt a local hospitality.

“I fought all over the world, but they never met me like that. It’s great that people are happy to see me, they’re happy about the upcoming tournament. I said earlier that I would fight in enemy territory, but now I don’t feel anything like that. They are just waiting for good fights. And that’s great, because that’s why we are here. I was told that presidents of other countries, princes, sheikhs are flying here. This is a very big match by world standards, ”said the interim champion of UFC.

According to him, he still has to get used to the local climate, as well as the difference between time zones, but at the moment the preparatory process is going according to plan.

“I’ve been preparing for the fight with Max Hollway for three months, I had only one for this training camp. I plowed, I went for gold, and now we need to combine it. Not often you are offered an arena, which was built specifically for your battle. Therefore, I am charged and intend to do something great and change the life of my family, ”said Porrier.

Porrier is a member of the America Top Team (ATT), based in Florida. Another member of this sports club is the Ukrainian MMA fighter Yaroslav Amosov. Despite this, he emphasized that he did not participate in the preparation of the American for UFC 242 and would be glad for Nurmagomedov’s victory.

“Not really eager to help Porrier. I can’t say that I am a friend of Habib, but I know him, and I would like to see his victory. In training, they didn’t intersect with Dustin, they just greeted each other, ”Amosov said in an interview with the Youtube channel“ Let me interrupt you. ”

Kamil Gadzhiev, the head of the Russian promotion organization Fight Nights Global, shared his opinion on the main fight of the year. He suggested that the Russian will win in it, since Porye does not have sufficient competence in mixed martial arts.

“He moves well, works in the left-handed stance, hits a lot, fights harder than McGregor. But all this, I think, is not enough. He will not physically move Habib, and due to everything else, it’s almost impossible to defeat him, ”quotes the Sport Express promoter.

He added that the current meeting of Nurmagomedov will cause much less interest among fans of MMA than the fight with the former UFC light and featherweight champion.

“I'm not particularly excited before this fight. I have something to compare, for example, a duel with McGregor drove everyone crazy, but there is one hero here - this is Khabib. No war, no history of confrontation. This is a battle of a star, a champion with a very strong athlete, such as Porrier. That’s all, ”Hajiyev said.

At the same time, it cannot be argued that the UFC 242 tournament will go unnoticed at all. In favor of the opposite point of view is the fact that the fight between Nurmagomedov and Porie is discussed not only by martial arts fans, but also by representatives of other sports.

So, Maxim Ignatovich, defender of Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik, compared the style of a Russian in the octagon with hockey tactics.

“Here it is clear that Nurmagomedov is a very strong fighter, so I bet on him. What he does with his tricks on the ground, even with the same McGregor, is very exhausting. Well yes, that style may seem boring. We also say that straight-line hockey is very boring. And now basically they play it, roughly speaking, “run-and-run”. Not like before - passes through three clubs, ”Ignatovich shared his opinion in an interview with Realnoe Vremya.