“I do not like Shlemenko even as a person”
Alexander Emelianenko has recently been perhaps the main newsmaker of Russian MMA. Even the transfer of the battle with Magomed Ismailov to July due to the coronavirus pandemic did not stop it. From his future rival, a native of Stary Oskol turned his attention to another middleweight Alexander Shlemenko.
Their mutual dive initially resembled a joke, especially when Emelianenko suggested a colleague fight according to the rules of boxing. But he unexpectedly agreed to fight according to the rules of MMA. And now everything that happens between them resembles the promotion of the upcoming fight.
Athletes spent all Thursday exchanging angry messages. First, Emelianenko accused the opponent of greed. Allegedly, he demanded an indecently large amount for the fight with him.
“In the history of mixed martial arts, while you play in them, you have not earned so much. Do you have a conscience? Get down to the ground. Wear gloves, let's fight, ”said Emelianenko in a video posted on Instagram.
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Specific you Shdlomenko! @ biomart.ru # Emelianenko # AE # Russia #sports #UWF # sambo # boxing mma
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In response, Shlemenko said that no agreement on the fight currently exists, and said that he put up an “adequate market price” for the opposing team. For a word, Storm also did not reach his pocket.
“Listen, Emelianenko. Have you ever found a boy to breed me weakly here? If you want to put on gloves or without gloves there is something to find out, to fight - no problem, come to our city of Omsk, I will meet you with dignity. You are going to earn money here and draw a fight for yourself with your friends with REN TV. So the fee was announced to you. Do you know him. Enough to bargain for yourself some favorable conditions and so on. Either for you in boxing, or something else ... ”, answered Shlemenko.
A little later, Alexander told exactly what amount the organizers offered him. He noted that it was about money, only slightly exceeding his fee for a middleweight fight - "something like $ 100 thousand." The fight itself, according to the athlete, can take place at the end of April. However, it is not entirely clear whether the situation with coronavirus was normal by that time.
It is also not clear in which category a potential duel can take place, because Emelianenko is a “heavy”, while Shlemenko spent his entire career in middleweight. Storm noted that it would be fair if the fight took place at a weight of 90 kg, but stressed that the opponent is unlikely to agree to this.
“I'm not going to gain weight for this fight. We have not yet discussed the subject of the race, given that Emelianenko has only been aching recently. It would be fair to stop at a weight of 100 kg. Rather, not even 100, but 90. But he will not do this. Wait, now he will grab the middleweight and switch to lightweight fighters, ”said Shlemenko in his video message posted on Youtube.
In turn, Emelianenko explained why Shlemenko decided to challenge. According to Alexander, this was prompted by the words of his colleague before the fight with Mikhail Koklyaev, when he said that he was ready to replace the strongman. Also, the 38-year-old athlete admitted that he did not like Omsk as a person, and even compared it with his brother Fedor.
“He has a list of fights there ... I'm crazy. Maybe I saw a couple of tournaments with his participation. Recently I accidentally watched one or two fights. He is not interesting to me. I have not seen any of his interviews. I do not like him even as a person. Highly arrogant, such an opinion of the transcendental. He walks and looks down on everyone with his head up. That he is so right, the best, the very best. I have one such relative, ”quoted Match TV as Emelianenko.
“In Russia, Emelianenko is trying to look like an alpha male”
It’s still impossible to say exactly whether a duel between two iconic fighters for Russia will take place, but in the world of domestic mixed martial arts the very idea of this confrontation was greeted with enthusiasm. Moreover, many believe that Shlemenko, despite the serious difference in weight, has a chance to win. For example, ex-Bellator champion Vitaly Minakov said that according to the rules of MMA, Storm can succeed.
“Here, the difference in growth does not matter. It is a question of universality, learning ability and desire to win. Shlemenko fights very collectedly, goes forward and is not afraid to be cut. That's why Emelianenko offers boxing rules - he is more comfortable there. He has an open case, a head. And besides his movements and serial attacks, he has nothing to offer Shlemenko. He has no boxing skills. I sparred with Shlemenko. He does not complex in front of large ones, ”Minakov said in an interview with the YouTube channel“ Let me interrupt you. ”
And UFC fighter Alexander Volkov noted that in Russia Emelianenko "is trying to be an alpha male." According to Volkov, Alexander chooses middleweights for himself in order to earn money and the audience’s love.
“Emelianenko has an advantage in size and weight. He is a heavyweight, more hardy. But Shlemenko has a chance to fight with Emelianenko correctly and win. Emelianenko will have an advantage. It is important how Emelianenko responded to Shlemenko, calling him to battle with phrases that are unacceptable in normal society. But he was mistaken with Shlemenko, Alexander does not suffer from fear of his opponent. This is more like a weak call. I would not want Shlemenko to take this and take this fight, ”Volkov emphasized.
In turn, the president of the promotion company Fight Nights Global Kamil Hajiyev also warned Shlemenko from a fight with Emelianenko according to the rules of MMA
“Such a fight can happen at the end of the year. As a viewer, I would like to see it. With all due respect to Sasha Shlemenko, he simply does not have enough dimensions to fight him the way he used to fight. But Shlemenko does not have a sufficient margin of safety in the fight to outplay Emelianenko, ”R-Sport quoted Gadzhiev as saying.