- You should have met Lorenz Larkin in March, but due to an American injury, the fight was canceled. Are you not afraid that he may star in October?
- No, in any case, I do not think about it. It seems to me that Larkin is set for this fight and should not jump off. Earlier, he himself expressed a desire to beat me, and the Bellator leadership met him.
- Is it fundamentally for you to fight precisely with Larkin?
- This fight means a lot to me. Firstly, Lorenz is a very strong athlete. It must not be underestimated. He has good standing skills, he defends himself well against fighting. This is a top level opponent.
- Can you call Larkin the most serious opponent in your career?
“I think Douglas Lima was better.” If only because he had previously prevailed over Larkin. As for the rest, it is very difficult to make comparisons between athletes if they did not intersect in the cell.
“Like you, an American prefers to fight in a stance.” Can you call it convenient for you?
- Larkin is a pronounced drummer with a good sense of distance. To be honest, it’s really much more convenient for me to fight with such opponents than with fighters.
- At one time, Larkin left no chance for Neil Magni, literally scoring him with low kicks (kick on the opponent’s foot). How do you plan to defend yourself against this?
- There are a lot of options, we will try everything. First of all, we will try to respond to these attacks, make “coasters”, and tack.
- In your opinion, a victory over Larkin can provide you with a fight for the Bellator title ?
- It's hard to say, but it would be very cool. He is one of the reserve welterweight Grand Prix, and a victory over him can bring me very close to the fight for the championship. In any case, Rory MacDonald will defend the belt in late October and is unlikely to return to the octagon in the next four to five months. I think, up to this point, I will have time to conduct at least one battle, or maybe two.
“Who would you call a favorite in the battle between MacDonald and Lima?”
- Hard to say. Mindful of their first meeting, many will prefer Rory. But in my opinion, Douglas won in that fight. MacDonald was given victory because of the fight.
- So you bet on the Brazilian?
- I see Lima as a favorite. In the first battle, he hurt his vis-a-vis, and he will now remember and be afraid of it. This time, Douglas will be ready for transfers to the stalls, and he will calmly break through his low-kicks.
“After the battle with John Fitch, MacDonald said he was not sure if he wanted to hurt people.” There is no impression that after such words, the MMA fighter should end his career?
- These words made me think about his state of mind. I don’t know what’s going on with him. His private affair. Perhaps this is one of the bells that is no longer worth fighting. Time will tell.
- Do you have any problems with motivation?
- Similar thoughts just do not attend.
- On the eve of the match with Porje, Nurmagomedov is considered an unequivocal favorite. Agree that Dustin can hardly be called an unpleasant opponent for Habib?
- Yes, Dustin is a convenient rival for Habib, because he is famous for his shock equipment. It will be convenient for Nurmagomedov to fight him, because this is not his strong point. I see a Russian favorite and will cheer for him.
- Earlier, Habib had already met with powerful drummers - McGregor and Barbosa, but not one of them could oppose him. Porje has something to surprise Nurmagomedov?
- See you on Saturday. The main thing to remember is not to underestimate your opponents. However, I do not think that Khabib will have problems of this nature. Before entering the cell, he is extremely focused, does not experience problems with underestimation. He is not allowed to relax, and he himself does not make such mistakes.
- Like Porrier, you are also primarily a drummer. How would you act in a duel with Nurmagomedov?
- I believe that in a battle with a fighter you should strive to get to your feet as soon as possible if you have a takedown. You can neither lie beneath your opponent, nor try to fight him. When your vis-a-vis is on top, then it practically does not waste energy. And if you start trying to counteract him on the ground, you lose many times more energy.
“But when you stand on your feet, you also expend energy ...”
- But the enemy has to carry out transfers, throws again, and, therefore, also get tired.
- What else?
- It is necessary to practice strikes that are as inconvenient as possible for wrestlers - those that prevent them from passing to their feet. For example, a “flying knee” (knee kick in a jump). For example, just recall the recent battle between Masvidal and Askren. Jorge chose brilliant tactics and thwarted Ben's first attempt to make a takedown.
- Habib prefers to carry out his transfers in those moments when his opponent stands close to the cage. This gives him the opportunity to first tie him in a clinch, and then put it on canvas. How to avoid this?
- It is necessary to prevent the wrestler from working at that distance from which he can easily get to his feet. I would try to stick to such tactics.
- The advantage of Habib in the fight is due to the fact that during the fight he weighs significantly more than his opponents?
- I did not see that Nurmagomedov greatly exceeded his rivals in size during the fight. I think his trump cards are stamina and physical strength. From round to round, he practically does not lose pace and can increase momentum. Do not forget about the high level of skill.
- On average, Khabib drops 8 - 10 kg in the last week before the fight. Not too much?
“I don't think so.” This is the standard figure for professional fighters.
- How much excess weight do you have a week before the fight?
“About the same.” Of course, not ten kilograms - about seven - eight. But everything is individual. If Habib feels that he is comfortable driving such a mass, then let him continue in the same vein. Of course, there are athletes who have really hard times. Tall and thin fighters will be much harder to lose weight than undersized and broad-shouldered.
- When preparing for the last battles, Nurmagomedov had problems with the race?
- Did not notice. He uses the services of a personal nutritionist and he himself said that he could go down a category below.
- After the victory over Conor McGregor, many hastened to declare that Nurmagomedov surpassed him in the stance. Do you agree?
- Yes. Habib was more productive and even shook him with his right side. In shock technology, he definitely added.
- Do not you think that this knockdown was rather the result of McGregor’s fatigue caused by an almost five-minute wrestling session with Nurmagomedov?
- It was in the second round. I don’t think Conor was exhausted by this moment. He simply did not expect this. Habib coolly deceived him - he swung down, and then struck on the right.
- It can be argued that Nurmagomedov made significant progress in the stand?
- Undoubtedly. Remember at least the battle with Barbosa. The Russian was hit and kicked, and the hook, you can say, almost mocked him in the last rounds.
- Subsequently, Nurmagomedov talked a lot about a possible transition to boxing for the sake of meeting with Floyd Mayweather ...
- Good money battle. Why not give it a try. In boxing, he has nothing to lose, but he can make good money.
- Peter Yan recently called Nurmagomedov an unattractive fighter. In your opinion, who is the brightest representative of the UFC lightweight ?
- Barbosa comes to mind, who has in his asset several cool knockouts. Here I would also include the same Porrier and his former opponent Gage. He has a very interesting manner - he just goes ahead. It is always interesting to watch when athletes are already waist-deep in blood, but still continue to chop. Such a sight will always please people.
- It is to be expected that the duel between Nurmagomedov and Porie will turn out just like that?
- Everything can be. The fight will be very hot. Both have something to lose. One interim champion, the other is undeniable.
- After the battle with Max Holloway, the impression was that Porrier was not too hardy, because by the third round he was seriously tired. And this taking into account the fact that they fought solely on their feet ...
“I don't think he has a problem with that.” At that time, Dustin relied on power strikes, because of which you get tired very quickly. Fortunately, he got. In that case, if they walked by, he would be exhausted even earlier.
- Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov believes that Porie is able to withstand a couple of rounds with Khabib from strength. Do you agree?
- I am sure that Dustin will be hard. It also seems to me that Nurmagomedov will win ahead of schedule. According to my feelings, the battle can end at the end of the second round, the middle of the third or fourth.
- According to the UFC, on social networks, most Russian fans express support for Porie, not Nurmagomedov. What do you think, what is this connected with?
“Not sure if this is true or not.” Personally, I cheer for Habib. He is closer to me than Dustin. I don’t know Porje at all.
- The tournament will be held in Abu Dhabi and is essentially considered a home show for Habib. Why do you think the UFC did not organize the defense of the Nurmagomedov title in Russia?
- As far as I remember, he himself expressed a desire to speak in the United Arab Emirates. The UFC went to meet him, placed him at the head of the card.
- Do you think you should expect the appearance of McGregor at the tournament in Abu Dhabi?
“I don't think so.” Why would he do that? To throw firewood in a fire? I think this is stupid. Moreover, Habib himself warned that in this case a response could follow. Conor is already mired in scandals. It makes no sense to spoil your image.
- UFC President Dana White announced that he sees Tony Ferguson as the next contender for the title. Do you agree?
- This is logical. He is a former interim champion and has an impressive winning streak. Moreover, Tony and Habib have a story - at first one could not enter the battle due to injury, then the other. In addition, Ferguson is constantly trying to pester Nurmagomedov on Instagram.