“Now only UFC is higher than ACA”: MMA Frolov fighter on promotion gradation, Ismailov’s advantages and Emelianenko’s vulnerability

- This weekend you will have a duel with Bruno Santos at ACA 104. How are you feeling before the fight?

- Preparation is over, it remains to make weight, and approach the battle as fresh as possible. This time he trained exclusively at home, in the Krasnodar Fight Club "Forge". I can’t say that I have changed something radically. I tried to work on all aspects: boxing, legs.

- In this case, in the previous battle did you prepare in Sweden?

- Partially. For three weeks I was training at Allstars. Worked on endurance and functional condition. In this room there is a kind of proprietary technique that I used even in preparation for this fight.

- Was there anything new for you?

“I would not say that.” I can note that a very competent specialist works there - Andreas Mikel, head coach of Alexander Gustaffson. He tries not to overload the athlete. Of course, the training volume is very serious, but it is diluted with rest or practicing various elements. This is to prevent the athlete from being driven.

- Did you get to know Gustafsson himself?

“I was there about six months ago.” At that moment, he had a break in performances, he was going to end his career. So then he did not appear in the hall.

- What is especially worth fearing in the battle with Santos?

- It works well near the net. Always trying to move the opponent to the ground and slowly control, do their job. Perhaps he does not fight very spectacularly, but for him the main thing is success. He gained almost all his victories with the decision of the judges.

- Your previous opponent, Magomed Ismailov, is also primarily a fighter. What are their differences with Santos?

- At least in the fact that Ismailov is left-handed. I was uncomfortable fighting with him. He has fast hands, Magomed is a non-standard and explosive fighter. In our battle, he practically did not use the fight, which I did not expect. Judging by the last fight, these two athletes are completely different.

- Your opponent is known for playing in the UFC and PFL. Are you motivated by the fact of a battle with an opponent with such experience?

“I would not say that.” I’ve fought many times with ex-UFC fighters. The same Joe Riggs, Cayo Magagliaesh, Luigi Fiorovanti. So first of all, victory motivates me.

- If successful, with whom would you like to fight in the future?

- I do not want to make a guess. Everything will depend on the outcome of this battle. I would like to continue to play in the ACA, to achieve good results. At the moment I do not think that it makes sense to twitch somewhere.

- Recently, ACA fighter Eduard Vartanyan admitted that he intends to move to the UFC this year . At one time, you also did not hide the desire to go for a raise. Is it still left?

- Oh sure. I think that every MMA fighter pursuing high goals has a similar desire. But I understand that now hardly anyone will take me. I do not have an impressive series of victories, in the last fight I lost completely. I need to work hard to get there.

- You have previously played in the M-1 Global promotion , which now has an agreement with the UFC. Don't you think you hurried to leave?

- I already had a contract with the UFC, I just could not speak there. As for the champions, it is not so simple. Not each of them got the opportunity to try their hand there. Look, they invited Alexei Kunchenko to the championship, who had an ideal track record with a lot of victories. They took Movsar Yevloyev, Damir Ismagulov - good fighters with excellent successful series. This is what became the decisive factor, not the M-1 title.

- In 2018, you were supposed to fight with CBS Dolloway at the first UFC tournament in Moscow, but the battle broke out. What happened then?

- He beat Bruno Silva and lost. As you know, the UFC rarely takes fighters after defeats. Thus, my relationship with the organization was suspended.

- Former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko is in talks with the UFC, but refuses to agree to a newbie contract. Would you be comfortable with such conditions?

- Not. At that time I was offered the best conditions. Though not much, but they were more attractive. Although, if they told me that there is an iron option to fight in the UFC, then you could consider such an agreement. But in general, for fighters of this level - it’s a little money. And this is taking into account the fact that there are taxes, expenses on managerial services and training.

- Would you agree to sign a contract with the lower status ONE FC foreign promotion ?

- Not now. I don't think ONE FC is any better than ACA. There is a good level of fighters in light divisions, and in the rest - a little lower.

- How do you rate the ACA roster ?

- Very strong roster, high competition. There are practically no weak athletes. There is no point exchanging for ONE FC. In my opinion, only UFC is above ACA now.

- And what about Bellator?

- I do not even know. I would have to think carefully over the proposal from there.

- Since 2016, you only once fought against a compatriot. You basically do not want to meet in a cage with the Russians?

“No, just a coincidence.” Apparently, such rivals were then offered. I myself did not particularly choose. But to be honest, I would not want to once again fight with compatriots. The world is small, quite often you cross with the Russians at training camps, then it’s unpleasant to fight with him. Familiar all the same.

- In November, at the UFC tournament in Moscow, the first ever battle was fought between Russians - Sergey Khandozhko and Rustam Khabilov. And then this event caused a serious resonance ...

- Many perceive this as something personal, but MMA is a competition, not a war. The guys are fighting with each other in local tournaments and that's okay. As for Khandozhko, he needed to speak, and he agreed to the proposal. He did not shout: "Give me Khabilov."

- At the Moscow UFC tournament , the Russians lost seven out of eleven fights. What is the reason for the fiasco?

- It is difficult to give the correct answer. There is a lot of competition. Ours cannot prevail in all fights. Many did not speak so brightly because they debuted. They wanted to win in any way, so they did not risk it.

- Former ACA champion Marat Balaev said that many fighters get into the UFC by acquaintance. Do you agree?

- In part. As with any good job, you won’t get there without dating. We need a good manager who will arrange you there, put in a good word for you. But the UFC, with rare exceptions, does not take weak fighters. It happens that such a case in heavyweights. A man will beat himself a good record and receive an invitation.

- At the same time, Dmitry Smolyakov managed to make a speech at the UFC, even Dana White was surprised to sign it ...

- He had a good track record. In addition, he is a heavyweight, and there are few of them. Apparently, they didn’t peer at the promotion. Thought you could try. As a result, Smolyakov did not succeed - he was sent back. In the end, they also need people to beat.

- Returning to the duel with Ismailov, what impression did he make on you then?

- Magomed surprised at his speed. I understood that he had a non-standard strike technique, which is able to attack from different angles. But in the cell I felt it doubly. It was difficult to adapt to it. The reason was the left-side stance. For two months, it is extremely difficult to prepare for a duel with a lefty. Then I could not apply my crown series, which prevented me from performing at my level.

- Could you call him the strongest opponent in your career?

- I think yes. It would be interesting to appreciate his wrestling skills. I made a mistake without provoking a transfer to the stalls. Perhaps this would play a role, affecting his stamina. Did not check its versatility. But even in the rack with him it was hard.

- Would you like to have a rematch with him?

- Maybe. But it would be necessary to prepare well, to review something in preparation. But interest in this fight would be. There are moments to work on. In many ways, this applies to tactics. I think that it was too simple to react to a duel with Magomed.

- In April, Ismailov will fight with Alexander Emelianenko, but many consider him a clear outsider. Do you agree?

- No, Ismailov has chances in a duel with Emelianenko. Now it weighs about 103 kg, which is comparable with representatives of heavy weight. He has good wrestling skills, at least before. But the biggest question is in what condition will his counterpart come to battle. While Maga plows, Sasha can see for yourself what he is doing.

- If Emelianenko continues to behave this way, will Ismailov have a chance?

- Yes. In this case, Magomed can win. But if Alexander will look like himself in the mid-2018 model, Ismailov will be hard.

- In a fight with Vladimir Mineev, Ismailov revealed serious problems with endurance. Given the serious weight gain, can this be a key factor?

- Let's look at our fight. We fought actively for all 15 minutes, and he was not tired. This really surprised me. Functionally, it is perfectly prepared. The question is, will he have the strength if they fight.

- Surely this time Ismayilov will be forced to resort to a fight, because it will be very difficult for him to exchange money at a stand with Emelianenko?

- In place of Magomed, I would try to move more, work as a corps. I note that he knows how to do it well. Perhaps he would go into the struggle. But he would not enter into an exchange of blows. Nevertheless, Alexander is very large, it is hard to reach him.

- What flaws do you see in the shock technique of Emelianenko?

- He misses a lot of punches. He constantly holds his left hand on his stomach. I don’t know why he is doing this, because he has already repeatedly appeared on the floor.

- If you had the opportunity to fight with Alexander, would you agree?

- No, I'm not interested. I’m not comfortable performing in the heavy category. Unlike Ismailov, I can’t gain 105 kilograms. Anyway, I never thought about it.

- And if they offered a record fee?

- If so, then perhaps I would have thought.

- At the moment, you do not have the impression that Alexander underestimates Magomed?

- Perhaps there is one. But Emelianenko has long led such a lifestyle. He himself admitted that this is nothing new. Apparently, now he was given free, and he became even more active in this direction. When he trained at Akhmat, discipline was present.

- In your opinion, will Emelianenko manage not to get into alterations until the battle with Ismailov?

- He again went to Akhmat, even argued by car that he would not drink alcohol. I think he can hold out for two months.

- Nevertheless, he said that he would not drink alcohol for a year. Can you stand it?

- I doubt it.

- Sergey Kharitonov regularly spoke harshly about Emelianenko. Shlemenko did the same. How do you feel about Alexander?

- A person does what he wants. I don’t give him a decree. In my opinion, this is not a good life, but his business. I try not to do it myself.

- Some are sure that now in the Russian MMA community they support Alexander more than his brother Fedor. What is the reason for this?

- I do not agree with this. Yes, many fans like noise, dirt. The worse you act, the more attention you get. But this does not mean that Alexander has more fans than Fedor.

- Do you think the Emelianenko brothers will ever make peace?

- I have no idea. I would like to. It’s bad when there is such a complicated relationship between the legendary brothers. I would be glad if they all worked out. But we do not know for sure what exactly happened between them.

- Apparently, Fedor will finish his career in 2020. With whom would you like to see the last two fights with his participation?

- I would not say that I have special preferences in this regard. Of course, I want him to continue to win. It's a shame when the legend gives way. Always rooting for him and worried. Now I hope that he will leave on a major note. It would be great to see him get the better of Ryan Bader.

- Would you like to see the battle of the Last Emperor with someone from compatriots like Kharitonov, Minakov or even his brother?

- Personally, I am not interested. All listed fighters are respected athletes. I would not want them to fight among themselves.

- In your opinion, can Emelianenko be called the greatest MMA fighter in history?

- In my opinion, Fedor is one of them. I would also include Anderson Silva and John Jones on this list. Its results speak for themselves. He beat everyone he could.