- At the ACA 115 tournament you will fight Magomed Ismailov. How was the negotiation process going on the eve of the battle?
- As such, there were no negotiations.
An offer was received from the ACA league to meet with Ismailov.
Without thinking twice, he agreed.
And the Mage himself did not take much time to think.
- The initiative did not come from Ismailov himself?
- No.
Of course, we had a little story with Magomed.
Before the fight with Yasubi Enomoto, I was asked which of the Russians would like to fight in the future.
He replied that he would gladly share the cage with Ismailov.
It was in December 2019, but then the story did not develop.
- How did you get interest from the ACA?
- Some time ago I turned to knowledgeable people, asked how interesting my candidacy is to the league.
And only then we were offered to hold a face-to-face duel.
- For any Russian fighter, a fight with Ismailov now is an opportunity not only to conduct a major battle, but also to earn a substantial amount of money. What was your priority in this case?
- I must say right away that in this case money is not the main thing for me.
In October I could fight Nasrudin Nasrudinov at the RCC tournament.
And then the fee was no less than for the fight with Ismailov.
So the sports component is at the forefront here.
Magomed is on the hype now.
It is a sin to refuse the opportunity to fight him.
Another chance to prove everything to those who don't believe in me.
- Speaking of those who do not believe. Was there a lot of negativity after you agreed to a battle with Ismailov?
- I try to pay less attention to it.
I don’t read private messages on Instagram, I don’t maintain a VKontakte page.
But if you believe my comrades, people reacted positively to the organization of my fight with Ismailov.
They are waiting for a good felling in the cage.
- Given Ismailov's current status, do you feel heightened pressure on the eve of this battle?
- I would not say that I feel some kind of nervousness.
I've already met opponents whose names carry more weight in the MMA community.
But in Russia Magomed is really the most popular fighter at the moment.
- Earlier in Russia you performed only in one major promotion - RCC. Why did you decide to make an exception and fight in the ACA?
- The reason is the inner striving for growth.
What the RCC gave me is worth a lot.
I grew up there, got a name, experience, record.
But I always wanted to progress.
I played in the Japanese promotion Rizin FF, tried to break into the UFC.
- Did you feel that you can no longer grow inside the RCC?
- In general, yes.
RCCs are quality tournaments, but the very concept of promotion does not imply a solid roster of fighters.
We don't have a belt race.
First of all, the organization sets as its task the development of sports in the Sverdlovsk region, the Ural Federal District.
It is a large system that includes an important social history.
ACA is a league that is also aimed at popularizing MMA and creating shows.
But inside her there is constant rivalry, everyone wants to become champions.
It ranks third in the world in scale, behind only the UFC and Bellator.
- Does ACA surpass Rizin FF in terms of competition?
- This is heaven and earth.
- What if you compare ACA with M-1 Global and Fight Nights Global?
- These promotions are not at the same level as they were before.
ACA now has the largest roster in the country and is the most competitive league.
- Is your contract with ACA for one fight?
- At the moment it is.
- If successful, are you ready to conclude a longer-term agreement with ACA?
- Why not?
This is one of the options.
But everything will depend on negotiations with the promotion.
- One gets the impression that Russian top fighters are not in fashion to sign long-term contracts with domestic organizations. Why?
- An athlete has much more opportunities if he is in the status of a free agent.
After all, at any time on the side there may be a chance to hold a major fight on very attractive conditions.
For example, some leagues organize New Year's gala tournaments, in which participation is relying on substantial fees.
If you have a valid contract with one organization, then you will not be able to respond to such an offer.
Therefore, it is more convenient to have short-term agreements.
Fought one fight and didn't owe anything else.
- And young fighters too?
- They are much more comfortable signing contracts for a long term.
Indeed, in this case, the promotion must provide the opportunity to conduct a certain number of battles within the specified period.
Athletes understand that they will be provided with a job.
- Your fight with Ismailov will be held within the light heavyweight category, although Magomed himself is a natural middleweight. Why was this choice made?
- Firstly, I have already tried myself in middleweight and will once again subscribe to this only on different conditions.
This is not only about money.
You need to start preparing for this at least six months in advance.
Secondly, discussing the possibility of performing in the ACA, he immediately indicated that he intends to fight in the category up to 93 kg - no more, no less.
- How did Ismailov react to this?
- He didn't care.
He said that he was comfortable playing in the 84 kg division.
But now Ismailov is doing a show, and not chasing belts.
He doesn't care what weight to fight at.
- You said that before the battle with Nasrudinov you would need to close certain gaps. What needs to be fixed on the eve of the fight with Ismailov?
- It is necessary to work on all aspects of the battle.
There is not a single athlete who does not have a field for progress.
But such tasks are rather solved during the out-of-competition period.
Before the tournament, we are preparing for a specific opponent.
- On October 24, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Was it noticeable from the American's actions that he was purposefully preparing for a meeting with the champion?
- Personally, I don't.
Against this background, Gatji's statements about his wrestling skills, surprises for Nurmagomedov look especially strange.
If a person says this seriously, then it is very sad.
After all, then he goes into the cage and acts in a similar way.
Khabib simply "devoured" him.
It could have ended in the first round, but then Justin was saved by the gong.
The American can only boast of a couple of low-kicks, while the pressure from the Russian was colossal.
I've never seen him fight like that.
It was not just a victory, but a real destruction.
- Have you ever seen a fighter go from full guard to full mount so quickly?
- I don’t remember.
In this regard, the question arises of what the person has been working on for three months.
You understand perfectly well that you will be dragged to the ground, and you go out and so give up the position.
It felt like Gaethje had stepped out on short notice.
In the first round, I ate so much that later I just waited for it to end.
- Maybe it's a psychological state?
- It is not excluded.
In the course of the duel of glances, it was clear that Gaethi was very nervous.
If you looked closely, you could see how his hands were shaking.
Yes, it is okay to feel excitement, but when it breaks out, it is too much.
Maybe Justin really burned out.
- Now there is a debate about whether Nurmagomedov can be called the greatest fighter in the history of MMA. In your opinion, is he worthy of this title?
- Khabib is one of the best fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
This is out of the question.
As for the rest ... In my understanding, "greatest" is too loud a word.
To deserve it, you need to be unique in many ways.
If we take a purely sports component, then he may well claim this title.
- Among the fans, the version was discussed that the fight between Nurmagomedov and Gatzhi was negotiated. Do you admit that this is possible in MMA?
- I did not hold a candle, I myself did not become a witness to such conversations.
Personally, no one offered me anything like that.
To blame a fighter for this is very serious.
I myself would not want to assume such a thing.
- Returning to your future fight. As in the case with Emelianenko, there is no tension in your communication with Ismailov. And this despite the fact that in December you have to fight with each other.
- Why should I have a negative attitude towards the future enemy outside the cage?
When the gong sounds, we'll do our job.
- But is it easy to punch in the face of a person to whom you relate well?
- It depends on whether you are able to reorganize psychologically.
I consider myself an adequate person with a good sense of humor, who can communicate with another person outside the cell.
Especially if he hasn't done me anything wrong.
Imagine if we insulted each other before the fight, but that would not have taken place.
Who would we be like?
Also, remember the battles of Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti.
They were the best friends in life, but at the same time they beat each other to a pulp in the ring.
This is one of the best rivalries in boxing history.
- Now in Russian MMA is there a fighter with whom you have a strained relationship?
- There is such a person - Vladimir Mineev.
And a kind of conflict with him not only with me, but also with Ismailov.
True, I rather have a misunderstanding, while they had a serious confrontation with Maga.
At the same time, he asked about him from the people with whom he trained, talked.
They say that Mineev is a normal guy in life.
A little arrogant, perhaps, but not what he appears to be during the promotion of battles when using trash-talk.
- In July 2019 Mineev talked a lot about you ...
- I have repeatedly noted that I do not watch interviews with other fighters and I abstract from their words.
It is impossible to reach me in this way.
If he wants to fight, then I don't understand why not call me or my manager directly and ask to organize a fight.
Mineev is one of the most popular Russian fighters.
Why not do everything humanly?
With Maga, we did just that.
- Are you interested in the fight with Mineev?
- Not at the moment.
At least from a human point of view.
I did not have a single opponent towards whom I would dislike.
And when he turns to personal insults, the question arises: “Why are you doing this?
What does it mean?".
In addition, earlier the leadership of the RCC has already responded with a refusal to the offer to organize him a fight with me.
They said that in this promotion Mineev will not earn a dime in a duel with Shtyrkov.
Any other rival, please.