"Shirokov could play in the UFC": Tikhonov, Yan and Tsarukyan held a press conference in Moscow

"Shirokov could have played in the UFC"

Over the past few days, several ambiguous situations have occurred in Russian football at once, resulting in high-profile scandals. Coach Andrey Tikhonov became a direct witness to one of them - an attack by midfielder Roman Shirokov on a referee during a match of amateur teams. Commenting on the incident, he condemned the ex-colleague, although he admitted that partly it was understandable.

“It would be better not. But I'll tell Roman that he could play in the UFC. The guy from the area, grew up in a difficult area. In Dedovsk, such things happened more than once. But I am not saying that such fights should take place on the streets. Let the guys fight in the ring, ”Tikhonov said.

The second hot topic was the refereeing in the Russian Premier League (RPL) and the dissatisfaction of the Spartak management with the work of referees Vasily Kazartsev and Alexei Eskov in the first round match with Sochi. Tikhonov did not share the position that there was a conspiracy against the red and whites and suggested that the team would hardly have withdrawn from the championship.

“Only ardent fans talk about the conspiracy. It is impossible to persuade all the judges, this is nonsense. Of course, everyone is perplexed why this happens with Spartak. But yesterday it was the same with Rubin, you saw Leonid Slutsky's performance. I think this is just a coincidence, a black streak. And the withdrawal statement was made out of emotion. I do not think that Leonid Fedun would have done this because of one or two things, ”Tikhonov is sure.

As for the situation as a whole, he admitted that with the introduction of the VAR system, his attitude towards it changed for the worse. In this regard, according to him, it is necessary to expand the powers of judges in working with video replays.

“Before, there were three referees who made their own decisions, there were no repetitions. Yes, there were mistakes, but they depended on the human factor. After all, the referee could be in a position where not everything is visible. But cameras have appeared, and the judges are now limited in their actions. Perhaps it was better before, ”said the coach.

In conclusion, the conversation turned to the growing popularity of certain sports. Tikhonov suggested that people's interest in MMA is directly related to the success of Russian fighters. At the same time, in his opinion, martial arts are unlikely to ever overtake football in this indicator.

“Sport is developing. This direction is developing, people are more and more fond of MMA. The victories of our fighters create good advertising, hence the increased interest. Accessibility also plays a role, the battles can be watched on Youtube. But football is loved everywhere, it is the number one sport. Sorry guys. You are number two, ”Tikhonov turned to Yan and Tsarukyan.

"Family is my main motivation"

The next to answer journalists' questions was the newly-made UFC bantamweight champion Peter Yan. He said that his life has hardly changed since winning the belt.

“Everything is the same as it was. Only a son was born. Graffiti with my image appeared in some cities of Russia. This is a very nice moment, although I'm not that narcissistic. I think this can serve as a motivation for young people. You seem to see a familiar guy from your yard. Many people strive for this, ”Yang said.

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Posted by Peter "No Mercy" Yan (@petr_yan) Aug 10, 2020 5:40 am PDT

As for the motivation of the UFC champion himself, here he is also extremely modest.

“Family is my main motivation, relatives and friends. I have never had any idols to be guided by. I am on my own. And the main rival is you yourself, your laziness, ”the fighter said.

Some are surprised by the fact that the Russian has not changed his team and club for many years. There are fears that sooner or later this will lead to defeat, as happened with Fedor Emelianenko. However, Yang himself is confident that he chose the right tactics.

“Anyone can lose, this is sport. I change my training process, change the environment, camps. This is part of the development. But while everything suits me, we defeat all the rivals, so I don't think that now we need to change something drastically. Of course, we need to involve different coaches and sparring partners, we will do this, ”the athlete explained.

The conversation about mixed martial arts could not but touch upon another Russian UFC champion - Khabib Nurmagomedov and his future opponent, American Justin Gaji. Their fight will take place on October 24 at UFC 254.

“Gatji is a dangerous rival for Khabib, he never had such a thing before. The American is a wrestler, has good striking technique, knows how to work with his feet. But I think that Nurmagomedov will be able to cope with him due to physical power, pressure, non-standard struggle. He translates well with hooks, ”Jan predicted.

"Khabib is an ordinary person"

If for Yan there are no authorities in mixed martial arts, then the UFC bantamweight champion himself is an example for his colleague from the lightweight division Arman Tsarukyan.

“I don't have to go far, I look up to Peter. Looking at him, you understand that nothing is unreal, you can achieve any result in life, ”the fighter admitted.

A month ago, Tsarukyan won his second victory in the UFC, beating Brazilian Davi Ramos. According to him, the name of the next opponent is already known, but he cannot name it yet. Most likely, the battle will take place on October 25, so the fighter will start training in early September.

As for revenge with compatriot Islam Makhachev, it should not be expected in the near future.

“But I am sure that revenge cannot be avoided. If we continue our winning streak, we will meet again. I would like it to happen in Moscow or St. Petersburg. As for the mistakes in our first fight, I shouldn't have gone to the ground. It was necessary not to succumb to emotions, but to work more in a rack. But two years have passed, I have become smarter. Now this would not happen again, ”he said.

Considering that Nurmagomedov is Tsarukyan's colleague in the weight category, many are trying to draw analogies between them. At the same time, the fighter himself said that he would not like to meet with the champion in the octagon.

“They asked me if I would like to fight with him and be able to defeat him. I replied that it was impossible, since he had a couple of fights left before the end of his career. But if Khabib is not allowed to fight, then he can be defeated in a standing position. He is an ordinary person, there is nothing special about him, ”Tsarukyan said.

In 2019, a unique incident occurred: the fighter joined the coaching staff of Severstal Cherepovets. As a child, he combined hockey and martial arts, however, due to the impossibility of getting into the main team of Amur, he had to make a choice in favor of the second sport.

“Initially I had to play a couple of matches, they wanted to make me a tough guy. But something went wrong, they said that it was better to become a special training coach. I do not go to them yet, because lately there has been no time due to preparation for the battle. Perhaps I will fix it soon, see what form the guys are in. In general, I am a football fan of Krasnodar, although I do not consider myself a real fan. I can go to the stadium and get charged with emotions, ”concluded Tsarukyan.