Airport training and polygamy support

While Khabib Nurmagomedov briefly disappeared from the media space and allowed himself a break from numerous interviews and events, the father of the current UFC champion was in the spotlight. So, in a few days, Abdulmanap managed to speak about polygamy, tell him what he did not like about Muscovites, and also arrange wrestling sparring right at the airport.

This was announced on his Instagram page by another UFC fighter Islam Makhachev. Lightweight published a video in which they, along with Nurmagomedov Sr., participate in an impromptu wrestling match. The athlete and his mentor spent about half a minute in the capture, but none of them could throw. At the same time, it was Abdulmanap who was closer to success, who at one point almost sent his counterpart to the floor.

In addition, Nurmagomedov’s father once again answered the question about the completion of his son’s career. Judging by his words, Habib’s plans have not changed. The lightweight champion had previously said he would hold at least two bouts before hanging gloves on a nail.

One of them, obviously, will take place this spring, and Tony Ferguson will most likely become an opponent. Currently, the American takes the first place in the ranking of the weight category and has in its assets a series of 12 consecutive wins. In the last battle, he dealt with Donald Cerrone. Athletes spent two rounds in the cage, after which the Cowboy was forbidden to continue the battle due to serious injuries.

At the same time, the words of Nurmagomedov Sr. about polygamy caused a serious resonance. The specialist’s statement was widely disseminated in the media.

"My wife? Fatima is here. When she is near, it’s generally easy and free for me. You see, an invitation can be made by three more. That is just four. One is, the second is planned, the third - I do not know whether it will be. The Almighty addresses men and says: “Take two, three, four as wives.” And one may even be with a disabled person, ”said Nurmagomedov’s father on air on Mir 24.

View this Instagram post

Publication by Islam_Makhachev (@islam_makhachev) Nov 20, 2019 at 1:30 PST

Abdulmanap also answered a question that has been tormenting his son’s Russian fans for several months now. So, recently the fact that Habib does not raise the flag of the country after the triumphs in the octagon has been widely discussed.

“We are announced:“ Dagestan, Russia ”. Dagestan is Russia. We have both large and small homelands designated. We are a subject within the Russian Federation. Every time we are announced as Russians, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr.

As for the residents of the capital, the mentor complained about their behavior in public transport and the lack of communication.

“Despite the torment in traffic jams, I drive a car. And some things in Moscow just kill me. I go into the subway, and there are young people sitting in headphones, while women and old people are standing. Even in the capital, neighbors can live in the same staircase for 20 years and not go home to each other. But it simply cannot be with us. In the mountains, everyone always responds to requests for help, ”concluded Abdulmanap.

Askren's retirement and Johnson's return

After the UFC Fight Night tournament in Singapore, many journalists and experts were quick to put an end to Ben Askren's prospects. After joining the Absolute Fighting Championship, the illustrious American could not confirm his star status and suffered two defeats in a row. First, he was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in five seconds, and then he was “strangled” by the Brazilian Demian Maya. Because of these failures, the athlete thought about leaving the sport, which the media admitted to himself.

Three and a half weeks after the failure in the battle with the Brazilian, Askren nevertheless decided to retire. According to him, one of the main causes was problems with the hip joint. Ben said he needed an operation to replace him, which prompted him to stop speaking.

It is worth recalling that Askren spent 22 fights in his professional career, won 19 victories, suffered two defeats, and another match was declared invalid. At the same time, he became the champion of Bellator and ONE FC welterweight, and also won gold in wrestling at the 2005 Pan American Games.

In addition, Askren twice met with Russian fighters and both times succeeded. In 2013, he took over by technical knockout over former Bellator champion Andrei Koreshkov, and three years later he turned out to be stronger than Nikolai Aleksakhin.

But, as you know, in mixed martial arts athletes quite often return to sport after retirement. So, light heavyweight Anthony Johnson, who left the world of mixed martial arts in 2017, took the path of return. According to the American, he initially planned to conduct a battle in the spring of 2020, but did not rule out that the battle with his participation could take place in the summer.

“I'm coming back and feeling better. My shots became stronger, tougher and faster ... In the first two days of sparring I knocked out two partners, so I think that everything works fine, ”Johnson admitted to MMAFighting.

He also talked about problems with being overweight. In the UFC, Anthony performed in the light heavyweight division (up to 91 kg), but after the end of his career he gained a few extra pounds. According to him, at one point the figure on the scales reached about 127 kg, which was a real test for him. Since then, he has lost 18.1 kg and is now ready to debut in the heavy category.

“I still feel the strength in me. Of course, I am not one of the biggest heavyweights. This category is full of real monsters. But my advantage over them is speed ... I think I'm faster than them, and probably have more knockout power. Do not forget about it, ”concluded the fighter.

During his career in the UFC, Johnson has gone from welterweight to light heavyweight, where he achieved success. For several years he was considered one of the scariest promotion knockouts and twice claimed the title, but both times lost to Daniel Cormier.

New rivals Oleinik and Shlemenko

Meanwhile, Russian MMA veterans are preparing to once again enter the cage. So, heavyweight Alexei Oleinik announced that he could hold the next match in January. The athlete published a photo that depicted the UFC contract with an offer to perform at the tournament on January 18. In this case, the name of the enemy was not called.

For Oleinik, such an offer can be very beneficial. Conor McGregor said earlier that his return to the octagon will take place on January 18th. According to preliminary data, a tournament in Las Vegas is scheduled for this date. In light of the long-awaited return of the Irishman, this show will definitely become one of the most high-profile and best-selling in 2020, which may well reflect on the Russian fee.

As for Shlemenko, his next fight is scheduled for December 14. Initially, ex-Bellator champion was supposed to fight Louis Taylor in the RCC 7 tournament, but the American withdrew from the fight due to injury. At the moment, there has not been an official statement from the promotion, but David Branch will most likely become Alexander’s opponent.

“Negotiations have already passed, we agreed on the conditions. Now we are engaged in obtaining a visa and signing a contract. As soon as we settle all the formal issues, we will officially announce this fight, ”said Nikolai Klimenko, RCC Executive Director.

For the past two years, Branch has performed at the UFC, but has not been able to gain a foothold in the planet’s largest MMA promotion. In five fights, he suffered three defeats and was fired. It is worth noting that David fought exclusively with strong athletes. Among his abusers are former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, as well as strong Jared Cannonier and Jack Hermansson. In addition, he prevailed over former lightweight belt contender Tiago Santos, who in July was in serious competition with John Jones himself.

In the light of Shlemenko’s not very successful speeches, the duel with Branch promises to be very difficult. So, over the past two years, he suffered four defeats and only twice gained the upper hand. And this despite the fact that most of the counterparts were clearly inferior to him in the class. His last failure is dated September. At the Roscongress Vladivostok Combat Night, he lost to Chris Hanikatt.