"If Alexander underestimates me, he will have problems": Ismailov about the fight with Emelianenko, trash talk and his idols

- During the pandemic, almost all fighters were seriously limited in terms of training. How did this process go?

- I found an opportunity to study - both at home and on the street. Sometimes it is even more pleasant to work outdoors than in the gym.

- Was there an opportunity to study in the halls themselves?

- Sure. Even in small ones.

- Alexander Volkov admitted that at a certain stage he used only kettlebells, a horizontal bar and clubs for training. What did you use?

- I'm more used to working with my weight. For example, he could sit on his daughter and squat.

- The day before, you said that your weight is 97 kilograms.

- When I weighed on an empty stomach, it was even less.

- At the same time, at a press conference in February, you said that you think 103 kilograms is optimal. Why didn't you reach this mark?

- It happened that in the offseason my weight reached 105 kilograms, but recently I tried to weigh no more than 95. Honestly, I thought that I could easily manage a hundred, but I didn’t get it. Summer, heat, stuffiness, appetite is not the same. At this time of the year, you lose a lot of water. If it hadn't been for the pandemic, everything would have gone according to plan. 

- On weighing, Emelianenko was 22.5 kilograms heavier. Is there a chance that you might not have enough power to fight him?

- I do not think so. Even when I ran into bigger guys on the street, I never assumed that something could interfere with me. When I pursue a goal, I want to prove something, it doesn't matter. Yes, Emelianenko will be heavier, but I, too, are now more massive than usual.

- How would you rate Emelianenko's form?

- He feels comfortable in this category. Now Sasha is dry, minimizing the risk of losing speed. Breathes well, moves well. It won't be easy. But I’m not chasing easy fights. They don't give that kind of return.

- Until the last moment, the management of the promotion hoped that the ACA 107 tournament  would be held in the presence of fans. Were you surprised that in the end it was not possible to organize?

- I was sure that the show will still be held with the audience. I was often asked by people who wanted to attend the event, but I told everyone that nothing has been decided yet. Even taking into account the fact that there have already been rumors about the admission of fans to the stands, albeit in limited numbers. I felt that something could change. That’s what happened. For me, this will be the first fight without fans in my career.

- You are the favorite of the audience and you get a lot of support from the audience. How hard will it be for you to perform in front of empty stands?

- I have a very close relationship with the fans. It affects me fundamentally. I stop worrying, I become more reckless when I hear their exclamations, I feel support. I don’t know how I’ll feel this time on the way to the cage.

- Do you think that this may affect your mood?

- Not. Even if only the two of us remain in the cage - without the seconds and the referee. When I was preparing for the battle, I did not think about the audience or their exclamations. I'm ready to fight Emelianenko even in the water.

- Usually you are very cheerful, but now you feel that you are very focused. Reaction to an approaching battle?

- Of course, because I have a fight soon. Now I want to think more, to imagine the course of its development: how I will act, what will happen in the cage, than I will surprise my opponent. Closer to the battle, all this appears in brighter colors. A month ago, I also tried to visualize it, but it turned out not so clearly.

- When do you imagine a fight, what do you see?

- How I win. Now everything is very clear: pulled here, left here, hit from here. The judge raised my hand, I left.

- Therefore, you see a victory by knockout?

- Yes, for some reason Emelianenko falls. Although I am ready to fight and box. Let's see what we show in the cage, everything can turn out differently there. But I would very much like the people to say at the end of the battle: "That was the heat." So that the duel overshadowed all that trash-talk, all those jokes and conversations that were in the past few months.

- If your fight with Emelianenko becomes a real fireworks display in the octagon, but at the same time you yield, will you be satisfied with yourself?

- Not. I will be happy only if I win. Otherwise I will say: "Yes, there was a good fireworks display, but this is not a victory." And the defeat I endure hard, and not only in battles. Even if I play the console and start giving in, I can break the joystick.

- Have you ever broken the joystick?

- Yes of course. Even if I lose to friends, I can lose my temper. It happens. At the time when I was competing in freestyle wrestling, after defeats they could not restrain me. Now I am calmer, more concentrated. I understand that I can both win and lose. After all, my opponent is also preparing, going towards the same goal. Therefore, if I give in, but with fireworks, I will be glad that they were at least present.

- When it comes to meetings between athletes with such a difference in height, like you and Emelianenko, Mike Tyson's fights come to mind. Don't associate yourself with him on the eve of the fight?

- There were moments when I said: “Look at Tyson. Work with the body, legs - that's all, it's in the bag. " But I like to associate myself with another person more. True, he was not so small.

- Who is it?

- Muhammad Ali.

- Are you going to "flutter like a butterfly"?

- Yes. Be fast, accurate, strategically prepared, smart. I have two floors, and if something does not work out on the top ... Although it will not be about it. Everything will work out.

- Many MMA fighters in their youth were inspired by famous boxers. As I understand it, Ali occupies a special place for you?

- Definitely. In the world of sports, no one admired me more than him. See what he did before the battle. Muhammad joked, used trash talk, was a real showman. But at the same time, he remained a beast in the ring. There he was already a different person: perfectly prepared both physically and psychologically, intelligent, calculating. He amazed with his actions both in the quadrangle and outside it.

- In MMA, McGregor is considered the successor of Ali's traditions. If you draw parallels between yourself and Muhammad, can we talk about the similarities between you and Conor?

- In the desire to promote fights - yes. We want to create excitement around the event, to make sure that as many people as possible watch it. But McGregor and I are different in many ways. Conor may be a good guy, but he was not squeamish about pursuing his goals. The main thing for him is the show, even if it is built on insults. But I have a different opinion.

- What is a show for you?

- When you created interest around the confrontation, but at the same time did not offend or offend anyone. Didn't touch the family.

- There were also many athletes in MMA who fought larger opponents on a regular basis. In this context, who comes to mind first?

- You can remember at least the duel of Alexander Volkanovski with Max Holloway. The Australian is a guy of average height, but at the same time he managed to fight on equal terms with a taller counterpart. However, I don’t think he won. But in general, there are enough fighters who often prevailed over taller opponents. But something else is important.

Fighters who have an advantage in size often underestimate short ones. The same Alexander often behaves as if he does not consider me seriously. Although I think that in reality it is not so.

- Do you not admit that Emelianenko really does not consider you as a serious rival?

- If he really underestimates me, then he will have serious problems in the cage.

- Speaking about fighters who often defeated tall opponents, does Fedor Emelianenko come to mind?

- Sure. I grew up fighting with Fedor. When you see the little one beating the big one, you think something incredible is happening. I want viewers to experience something similar on Friday.

- Do you think there is some symbolism in this - will you try yourself in the role of Fedor in a duel with his brother?

- Now Emelianenko and I do not have much in common, but before my style was really very similar to his. If you look, in my ground and pound, finishing moves and even working in the stance, there was a similarity to Fedor. But at some point it stopped.

- According to your press conferences, it seems that you have a more than positive opinion about Alexander. This is true?

- I often do just that. If you recall, on the eve of the battles, we did not conflict with either Artyom Frolov or Vyacheslav Vasilevsky. If the person did not insult me, then there is nothing personal in this confrontation. Why should I feel some kind of negative for him?

- The same Alexander Shlemenko did not need mutual insults to criticize Emelianenko for his lifestyle and behavior ...

- We are all sinners. Everyone has problems. The difference is that someone is a public person and cannot hide it from others. Everyone is able to remember the moments when they were wrong. The only important thing is who we are now, whether we have become better.

- The head of the ACA Alexey Yatsenko highly appreciated the fact that your press conferences were done without dirty trash talk. How do you yourself feel about this phenomenon in MMA?

- If we hurt each other's families, then the fight would take place not in the cage, but outside of it. When someone insults my loved ones, then you should not hope for a fight according to sports rules. The battle will take place in a public place for everyone to see.

- Don't you think that the absence of a "nerve" in your confrontation with Emelianenko can affect what is happening in the cell? After all, now some people perceive the fight as a meeting of old friends.

- In this case, people should watch the confrontation itself, and not who was rude to whom. I don’t want to do this for money or attention. To insult my family is not mine, I will never come to this. It seems to me that there are enough intrigues here. As soon as the gong rings, everyone will understand that there is no smell of friendship here.

- Surely the fans remember your fierce duel with Vladimir Minev ...

- If a person insulted me in public, then I will resolve issues in front of everyone. No, I will not purposefully look for the offender, but as soon as the opportunity arises, I will do it. This is exactly what happened with Mineev. And that's why I'm not interested in revenge with him. If I am offered to fight with Vladimir tomorrow, I will not agree. Honestly, I don't even want to talk about him. The second time, it may end with more than just a scuffle in Turkey.

- At the press conference, you casually reminded Emelianenko of his defeat by Magomed Malikov ...

- He did it himself.

- In your opinion, is this the hardest defeat in his career?

- Yes. It seems to me that the most difficult thing for him was to endure the failure in the battle with Malikov. Then he also greatly underestimated Magomed and flew to him. Now he can step on the same rake. I think that he is not one of those people, although everything can be.

- And what is the most difficult defeat in the career of Magomed Ismailov?

- From Anatoly Tokov. I respect him very much and am ready to take revenge with him. Not to prove something to someone, but to measure strength. Our duel ended very quickly. Then I made a mistake, underestimated my opponent. Now I would like to work with him longer.

- Before the fight, Emelianenko said that, unlike you, he fights from an early age and therefore surpasses you in this aspect. Do you agree that you are inferior to Alexander in the fight?

- These are all fables. Yes, he did it, no doubt about it. But I didn't even smell the struggle that I can offer him.

- At the press conference you said that you are planning to knock out Emelianenko in the second round. Something has changed?

- It seems to me that this is how it will happen. But I can't know for sure (laughs) .