Less than a day is left before one of the most anticipated fights in Russian mixed martial arts between Alexander Emelianenko and Magomed Ismailov. The fighters finish their training, and their colleagues, specialists and experts share their predictions about who will be the winner of the ACA 107 tournament.

Despite the difference in height, as well as the fact that Ismailov had to gain 15 kg to perform in an unusual heavy weight category, many consider him to be his favorite.

“I think Maga will beat Sasha. This is not to say that it is small. Yes, small in size, but it weighs a lot. Ismailov, it seems to me, worries more than Emelianenko. He will be charged and beat the opponent well, especially at the beginning, when he likes to miss. The magician hits hard, I experienced it myself, "- quotes the MMA fighter Vyacheslav Vasilevsky" Championship ".

ACA fighter Eduard Vartanyan also expressed confidence that Ismailov's main trump card will be his attitude.

“It will be a tough cut, which is obvious. Whoever says that the fight will be a joke does not understand sports at all. Ismailov will win due to motivation, some surprises, a clear plan and discipline, - said Vartanyan.

Former Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko suggested that the short stature, combined with wrestling skills, would be Magomed's advantage over his taller opponent. At the same time, due to the gained weight, it will be more difficult for him from a functional point of view. Meanwhile, an additional advantage for Alexander will be his rejection of bad habits and compliance with the regime. In general, Shlemenko believes that his opponents have equal chances of success.

“If Ismailov wins, this outcome will not surprise at all. There have already been such precedents ... But I have little confidence that he will be able to knock out Alexander. But he can win positionally, due to the struggle. If he builds up tactics to hack to death with Alexander, try to outplay him, then it will be hard for him. Magomed needs a short close range to hit, and at this distance Sasha can simply tie him up and hang on him due to his weight, ”Sport24 quotes Shlemenko.

At the same time, the president of the Russian promotion company Fight Nights Global Kamil Hajiyev said that, on the contrary, he would not be surprised if Ismailov knocked out his opponent. According to him, both fighters have an equal chance of winning, although a slight advantage will still be on the side of Emelianenko.

“Considering the fact that Ismailov is left-handed, he will be able to use even small levers and small arms correctly. Emelianenko, as you know, does not defend very well. I think Maga will be able, in boxing language, to "hook" Sasha. But whether this is enough to win is a big question ... But I would not underestimate Magomed and his ability to fight in a standing position. The fight is a fight, but in a standing position he can use Sasha's weak side, ”Hajiyev made a prediction.

In turn, the ex-Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov compared the upcoming meeting with the fight between Emelianenko and Mikhail Koklyaev, which took place in November last year and was held according to the rules of boxing. Then the MMA fighter predictably knocked out a representative of power sports in the first round.

“No competition was expected there, but here there are two good athletes, albeit from different weight categories. It will be interesting to see. I do not think that everything is so simple. Ismailov can tactically competently approach the fight and transfer Emelianenko to the ground, he fights and controls perfectly, and Sasha has this weak side, despite the fact that he positions himself as a wrestler. On the other hand, you need to be able to approach Alexander. He moves very well on his feet, he feels the distance, and he has strong and biting blows, ”explained Minakov.

Some experts speculated about the importance of the upcoming battle. So, Vasilevsky expressed confidence that the fight is interesting primarily because of two charismatic rivals who are actively attracting attention on social networks. The sports component fades into the background. And according to Shlemenko, "such an event will be interesting and far beyond the borders of Russia."

Meanwhile, Minakov stressed that such meetings should be held if they attract a lot of public attention.

“Again I will say about the fight between Emelianenko and Koklyaev. I went to him not because the result was important to me - it was obvious - but to see if Mikhail could do something and how keen the interest in this fight was. Oddly enough, it was so great that not a single match with Fedor Emelianenko's participation attracted as many spectators as there were that evening at Dynamo. If there is interest and a request for such meetings, why not, ”concluded Minakov.

MMA fighter Sergey Kharitonov adheres to the opposite position. He called the fight frivolous and said that he would not follow its progress.

“Favorite of the fight? I don’t know what state Magomed is in. I do not follow this. I am not interested in watching this fight. I'll look later in the recording. I like to watch serious confrontations more. I won't be surprised if Magomed wins. What's so surprising? " - said Kharitonov.