Russian MMA fighter Magomed Ismailov defeated compatriot Alexander Emelianenko at the ACA 107 tournament. The fight took place in Sochi on Friday, July 24. The fight was stopped at the end of the third round - the referee recorded the defeat of Emelianenko by technical knockout. Ismailov dominated during the entire fight.
Immediately after the fight, Ismailov thanked his team and fans for their support and called this win special. He explained that he has been following Emelianenko's career for a long time.
“This is a special fighter for me. I want to tell everyone I upset, everyone who was waiting for my defeat, I want to tell you: I did it on purpose, I won deliberately, deliberately upset you, ”the athlete specified.
Ismailov also admitted that he felt "two or three blows" from Emelianenko.
“When he said that I had a big head, he still underestimated it. It is not only big, but also strong. Missed three hits and stayed focused, doing my job. I am very happy!" He added.
The triumphant also announced the possibility of revenge. According to Ismailov, Emelianenko himself asked for a second fight. The loser was sent to the hospital after the fight: due to his injuries and cuts, he needed medical attention. Commenting on the outcome of the struggle in the octagon, Emelianenko was laconic.
“Everything passes, and it will pass," he said.
Sochi striker Aleksandr Kokorin gave the same brief assessment of the fight. The footballer and friends attended the match, although earlier the organizers stated that the tournament would be held without spectators, in the format of a television show.
“I expected more from my fellow countryman,” said Kokorin, who was also born in the Belgorod region, in a conversation with Sport24.
The fight really turned out to be very unsuccessful for Emelianenko. From the first seconds Ismailov inflicted many blows to the enemy, often hitting the face and liver and practically not letting him get up.
“Sasha showed nothing at all. It seems that Emelianenko did not have a plan on how to get out of such a situation, "says promoter Kamil Hajiyev.
According to him, it was not clear what Emelianenko was preparing for and what counterarguments he wanted to provide in battle. Moreover, the 38-year-old fighter simply could not keep up with Ismailov, Hajiyev stated. The promoter admitted that he considered the opponents' chances to win equal, although earlier he was sure of Emelianenko's victory.
“But I looked at the preparations, and then everything became clear. Sasha spent most of his time with pear and iron. I think he had little sparring work, ”said Hajiyev.
The promoter also expressed a desire to organize a rematch between Ismailov and Vladimir Mineev. Their first fight took place in October 2018 and ended in a draw, and the rivals were in conflict a lot and are still on bad terms. For a second meeting, Hajiyev is ready to pay 10 million rubles each.
Emelianenko did not have time to move away from the fight with Ismailov, as he had a potential rival for the next performance. Powerlifter Mikhail Koklyaev, who lost to him in November 2019 in the first round, wanted a rematch with the Russian. That fight according to the rules of boxing did not last even three minutes.
“I have my own scores with Emelianenko! I hope he will not worry, because this is not the first loss from a Dagestan athlete, ”said the strongman.
The fighter Alexander Shlemenko also remembered the fight between Koklyaev and Emelianenko, noting that the latter "played a little in the show." In his opinion, Emelianenko stopped progressing a long time ago and is an all-round fighter, which is bad for MMA.
“Although he lost today, he lost with dignity. He has everything to fight further. But desire must remain. And the willpower to give up bad habits, which he often resorts to, ”said Shlemenko.
Another reason for the loss to Emelianenko, he called the athlete's negligence towards life, health and training. In addition, according to Shlemenko, he underestimated the enemy. The fact is that Emelianenko was more than 20 kg heavier than Ismailov: 117.1 kg against 94.6.
“A lot of heavyweights think they’ll come out and throw everyone away. But this does not always work out, ”Shlemenko developed his idea.
In the eyes of former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov, Ismailov "just declassified" Emelianenko. At the same time, the fighter refused to call the outcome of the meeting unexpected.
“It’s unexpected that it’s one gate. The magician showed the weaknesses of Emelianenko. All the people who know about battles already knew them. Ismailov showed that they are not only weak, but also simply absent: namely, defense and struggle. Magomed is great and fulfilled his entire plan one hundred percent. The fight turned out to be spectacular, although it was on the ground. Everything was visible on Sasha's face. If we talk about dimensions, then it’s not about them, but about skills, ”concluded Minakov.
He also expressed doubt that Emelianenko could successfully compete with the lighter Shlemenko.
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky also spoke about the size of the opponents. This fighter noted that after weighing Emelianenko and Ismailov, “everyone sighed and gasped,” but this indicator cannot be judged.
“The difference in weight is important when the fighters are the same, but here the difference in skills,” Vasilevsky explained to the Championship.
Unlike Minakov, former interim ACB champion Eduard Vartanyan expected Emelianenko to be crushed like that.
“The fight only documented it. This beating is not the end of Emelianenko's career, he is still stronger than most heavyweights. Ismailov is simply uncomfortable for him. Emelianenko hasn't changed anything in tactics, that's why everything is like this, "the fighter summed up.
In turn, UFC bantamweight champion Pyotr Yan left an ironic comment on Instagram: “Emelya, Emelya. How much did you gas. The magician is a stone. "
Ismailov's success was highly appreciated by his sparring partner Ali Isaev. According to the athlete, the hero of the evening "made history."
“Alexander is a very serious fighter. Magomed moved to the weight category of 120 kg, he did almost impossible, "Isaev emphasized.
The 34-year-old Ismailov himself noted that he was close to retirement, despite the fact that "the body feels good." In the meantime, he intends to return to his weight category and have several more fights.
“In my opinion, I have never dropped 117-kg people at all. This is the first such case. I don't want to fight in the heights anymore, to be honest. I want to return to my comfortable 84 kg weight category, ”Ismailov summed up.