“You will quickly get tired, you’ll have enough for 20 seconds”: how Emelianenko and Ismailov held a press conference

A press conference took place in Moscow at the Oktyabr movie theater with the participation of Alexander Emelianenko and Magomed Ismalov, who will compete in the ACA 107 tournament in less than two months. The event caused serious excitement among Russian MMA fans and journalists, and the event itself was remembered by a relaxed atmosphere and jokes both athletes.

The press conference was supposed to be the first meeting of fighters on the eve of the full-time match at the tournament in April, but by chance this happened even before it began. Athletes collided on the stairs in the building before the photo shoot and were not without an exchange of barbs. So, at first Magomed and Alexander for a long time decided how to disperse in a narrow aisle, and then talked about the preparations for the battle. It is noteworthy that from the side of future rivals there were no manifestations of aggression and everything was limited only to jokes.

In a similar atmosphere, the press conference itself took place. Emelianenko amazed the fans gathered in the arena, appearing in an elegant suit and with a cane. Ismailov appeared in an ordinary sweater, explaining that old things were already small for him. It is worth noting that Magomed spent his entire career in middleweight, but gained about 19 kilograms for the sake of this duel.

“I control the nutrition. I don’t eat too much. I didn’t think that it was so high for heavyweights: sleep, eat, train. It’s good that I don’t have to force myself to eat. I am trying to gain weight correctly. I have a weight of 103 kilograms. Enough for me. This is what I wanted. Between fights I weigh about 98-100, ”Ismailov admitted.

Of course, journalists could not ignore the topic of meeting opponents on the stairs. Emelianenko tried to pry off his counterparts, noting that his voice had changed a lot at that moment.

“And someone has a face. The meeting was unexpected. I thought to go through the legs. Nice talked, fled. Romance. I wouldn’t throw you on the curb, ”Ismailov joked.

It is not surprising that both the fighters themselves and the public were interested in how the upcoming match would take place. Emelianenko became famous as a technical drummer, betting on his boxing skills, while Ismailov is a pronounced fighter.

“I may not be as powerful as Misha Koklyaev, but there will be no problems in other aspects. The fight is mine, the stance will be harder. Can we box it? My big head moves well. It's hard to get in, Sash, ”Ismailov said.

Emelianenko noted that his opponent’s head would move directly in the direction of his punches, and added that he would beat his counterpart with both hands. At the same time, he also recalled Ismailov’s endurance problems, which were clearly visible in his battles with Vladimir Mineev and Artyom Frolov. Then Magomed shockly spent the first half, but then he looked not so fresh.

“You will get tired quickly. In the last battle I barely endured. He walked with knees in his hands. About 20 seconds is enough for you, ”said Emelianenko.

It is worth noting that the battle between Ismailov and Mineev became one of the most discussed in 2018, so the fans could not help but wonder whether the rematch would be organized.

"I do not know. Being a smart athlete, I can’t look behind Emelianenko’s back. We will see. If I understand that Mineev will feel bad, if there is no revenge, the fight will take place, ”Ismailov said.

At the conference, the question was repeatedly raised about how and when, according to the fighters, the match will end. So, some asked Ismailov in which round he was going to knock out Emelianenko, others demanded a similar response from the vis-a-vis. But if Alexander preferred to evade a direct answer, then Magomed tried to joke about this.

“I think I will knock him closer to the end of the second round. Sasha gets a little tired, and I'll be quick. Okay, for what he said, let him be in the first, ”Ismailov said.

Emelianenko’s detention caused a violent reaction in the Russian MMA community and made many doubt that he was serious about meeting with Ismailov. Many hastened to assume that Alexander underestimates the opponent and is not sufficiently motivated. In this regard, he was asked whether this duel would end as unexpectedly as his rivalry with Magomed Malikov in 2012. Then he was knocked out 23 seconds after the start of the duel.

“In general, I should not have gone to battle. A fighter was injured at Finkelstein, and at that moment I was preparing with Fedor in Amsterdam. He came up to me, asked me to fight. In heavy weight, any knockout punch. You should always go out ready. When I was pushing him to the corner, I saw him moving away, backing away. My movement provoked him to attack. He clearly hit the temple, ”explained Emelianenko.

In general, Alexander’s serious answers were constantly replaced by jokes and flirting with the crowd. So, he complained that the organizers provided uncomfortable chairs, and also told a joke that caused a standing ovation in the hall. It is worth noting that almost every phrase of Emelianenko was approved by the public, which seemed a little surprising in the light of recent events.

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Among other things, the detention of Emelianenko in Anapa made the fans seriously think about what steps the ACA leadership would take if one of the athletes could not perform on April 3. But if the head of the league Aleksey Yatsenko evaded the answer, then Alexander joked again.

“If the fight is canceled, the culprit will be on the list of missing people,” said Emelianenko.

In addition, the athlete said what really happened in Anapa and led to his detention.

“I drank wine and sang“ Gas Sector, ”said Emelianenko.

Recently, in the world of MMA, it has become very popular to spin fights with the power of trash current and brawls, but this time there were no prerequisites for this.

“All the fighters are friends among themselves. We do not experience aggression. We show the confrontation of two different schools. Who is stronger and who is weaker. I have no task to kill, only to show skill and art. What we are trained in gyms, ”concluded Emelianenko.

The press conference ended quite calmly. First, Ismailov sang the opposite of the famous Haddaway song “What is Love”, after which the fighters duel the looks. True, at its end there was no brawl, and the meeting ended in a friendly hug.