"Bring me Adesanya, and I will show who is who": Ismailov on the attitude towards the UFC, Emelianenko, doping and cartoons

- Four months ago you defeated Alexander Emelianenko in the biggest fight of your career.

Has your life changed in any way since then?

- There are many more subscribers.

And with each fight their audience becomes more and more motley.

Of course, popularity has increased, but this happens after every iconic confrontation.

In addition, in the fight with Emelianenko, I was considered an underdog, which only increased the effect.

Those who thought that Alexander would “kill me” said after this fight: “Wow.”

- On the eve of the fight, you said that you would give 1 million rubles to the head of

- So I motivated myself to win.

- In case of success, you did not owe anything?

- No, I don’t argue like this: if I lose, I’ll give you something, if I win, I don’t owe anything.

I consider this a legitimate dispute.

By offering a million, I proceed from my capabilities.

After all, I don't know if you can give it to me if you lose.

- Before the fight with Ivan Shtyrkov, are you ready to argue again for a round sum?

- No.

I'm not ready now

.

- You recently opened the

- Maybe.

Recently, I launched a podcast, starred in the TV series "Real Boys".

I was wondering how experienced people from the film industry would appreciate it.

If they tried to calm me down, they would say: “Not bad, well done” - they would understand that I don't belong there.

- What were the reviews in reality?

- “Great, what a fine fellow you are.

How well I played. "

- Do you see yourself in the future in the film industry?

- For me, this is another path, an opportunity to realize myself.

Why not?

If this role carries some kind of sporting, positive message, then I am for it.

For example, I remember Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.

They did not have anything superfluous - hugs, kisses.

You watched it with purely sporting interest.

At that moment, nothing dirty was stuffed into your head.

The same Chan fought, made me laugh.

It seems to be cruelty, but it is shown with humor.

- There are a lot of remakes in the film industry now.

If you were offered to play the main role in one of the films about martial arts, which one would you choose?

- I would be interested to star in a remake of the film "Game of Death" with Bruce Lee.

He died while filming this picture.

At one time, Jackie Chan did something similar, but in his own style, with humor.

- And the analogue of "Rocky" with Magomed Ismailov in the title role?

- No, I think it would be interesting for me to work in a slightly different genre closer to me.

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Publication from Magomed Ismailov (@maga_isma) May 15, 2020 at 3:56 am PDT

- In June you turned 34 years old.

At this age, some MMA fighters are already ending their careers.

Are you already thinking about retirement?

- Yes of course.

But so far there is no specifics.

I think I will have the opportunity to play seven to eight fights.

Perhaps after this I will leave.

- Given your schedule, this is another three to four years of active performances ...

- I am one of those who believe that you need to leave on time.

For example, I wanted Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. to finish their careers correctly, without defeat.

But it turned out the way it turned out.

Therefore, I would like to end, albeit not with a perfect record, but on a long winning streak.

If you lose several battles in a row, it seriously hurts your legacy.

Take the same BJ Penn.

At one time, he was considered the best lightweight in history, defeating Matt Hughes and other legendary fighters.

But each setback wreaked havoc on his legacy in MMA.

I would not want something like this to happen.

- The same can be said about Anderson Silva?

- Somewhat.

Despite the fact that Silva has been on the decline lately, he fought his opponents - Cormier, Adesanya.

Yes, now he must end his career, but if he did it after the fight with Israel, it would be more logical.

Especially considering the fact that the New Zealander now endures all his rivals, and Anderson was one of those who fought on equal terms with him.

Only Calvin Gastelum can boast of this.

- An exhibition duel between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones will take place on November 28.

How do you feel about veteran fights?

- Positively.

Yes, both are aged, but look at them.

Now is the XXI century.

You can also see a 70-year-old man with abs cubes.

- Will you be sure to watch?

- Of course, these are the fighters I grew up with.

First I lost my head from one, then from another.

It was always interesting how their duel would have developed in their youth.

Tyson is a powerful puncher, Jones is a very technical boxer who is very hard to hit.

- Who would you prefer in this fight?

- I think Tyson can knock out Jones.

I think Mike has not lost his main advantage.

But Roy's jaw is not as strong anymore.

- Were you surprised when you heard that Khabib Nurmagomedov decided to end his career?

- Khabib is overgrown.

He is head and shoulders above all his opponents.

I decided to leave with a record of 29 - 0, leaving a kind of understatement.

Like a thriller.

It's like his eyes opened at the end of the movie and you're wondering if there will be a sequel.

- What do you think it will be?

- I can not tell.

But all the possibilities are there.

- Who do you think is a more suitable opponent for a possible anniversary battle of Nurmagomedov - Georges Saint-Pierre, Tony Ferguson or Conor McGregor?

- Saint Pierre.

It will be great if both of them come back for one fight.

I think Georges is the only one who can influence Khabib's decision to resume his career.

- In May 2021, Saint-Pierre turns 40.

Is it advisable to return at that age?

- What's the difference?

Previously, he had already resumed his career and immediately won the title of champion, defeating Michael Bisping.

And that was middleweight.

This time everything can go in its native category.

Georges will not drive up to 70 kilograms.

- But earlier Nurmagomedov said that he was ready to fight Saint-Pierre exclusively in lightweight ...

- It is unlikely that Georges will subscribe to this.

At 77 kilograms, he will be ready to fight Khabib.

And it will be convenient for Nurmagomedov.

- Returning to your fight with Shtyrkov.

“I don’t think so.

At least for me it won't be as big.

But now I'm a little more worried than on the eve of the confrontation with Emelianenko.

After all, I am in the status of a favorite.

But I see a serious competitor in front of me and I feel danger.

- Before the fight with Emelianenko, you said that you were going to work mainly in the rack.

Why did you change the original plan?

- We started in a rack

.

I asked Emelianenko what exactly we were going to do - wrestle or box.

He said: "Do everything you can, just don't fall quickly."

Gave him what he asked for.

- After that fight, Emelianenko disappeared from the media space for a long time.

Were you worried about him?

- Yes, I was.

But then we phoned and talked.

He was very happy to receive the call.

It was pleasant for both of them to talk, everything went well.

He said he was waiting with bread and salt.

So first I will fight with Vanya, and then I will visit Sasha.

- Did you talk about revenge?

- No.

- Would it be interesting for you to fight Emelianenko again?

- Now everything depends on him.

If Alexander comes back, wins and then says that the defeat by Ismailov was an accident, then I will answer: “Good.

Let's repeat. "

I have no right to refuse him, because then he put everything on the line, went out to fight with a little guy.

Emelianenko, however, could answer: “You are performing at 84 kilograms, so keep fighting with your flies, but don't bother me.

I'm a heavyweight. "

Nevertheless, he accepted that fight.

- Now it seems that you are looking for exclusively money fights and want to draw more attention to the fight than, for example, take titles.

Aren't you interested in becoming an

ACA

- As Bruce Lee said, I only need a belt to support my pants.

- Do you think the management of the organization is not upset with this state of affairs?

Now it turns out that their most popular fighter doesn't want to fight for the belt ...

- I didn’t say I don’t want to.

But I am one of the extraordinary athletes who see the development of their career in their own way.

Perhaps in the future I will want to win the title.

Who knows how my hat shmalnit?

Maybe I'll go to boxing tomorrow.

- If the

- If everything happened this way and Mairbek Khasiev gave the go-ahead, he would accept such an offer.

I would go out, take the belt and shout to the whole arena: “ACA!

ACA! "

- Let's say the

- Of course, with Adesanya.

Because once we were already offered to fight.

I was still training in the basement at the time, and he had just switched to MMA from kickboxing.

It so happened that his opponent withdrew from the fight and I was offered to leave on short notice for good money.

- What impression did Adesanya make on you?

- I watched the kickboxing fights with his participation and was impressed.

At that time he was just as shocking and defeated almost everyone.

- Why didn't your fight take place?

- My ligament was torn then, but I still begged the coach to allow me to fight.

I really needed money.

He said, “Put me in the cage.

Wrap your leg so I can perform. "

But I was not allowed.

Probably for the best.

Who knows what consequences that fight could have.

- Were you confident in your victory over Adesanya?

- It seemed to me that I could calmly knock him down even with a torn ligament.

At the beginning of his career, Israel often found himself on the floor.

Yes, he worked in the stalls, struck.

But I was sure that I could keep him on the ground for a long time.

It doesn't matter if Israel is in front of you or Paulo Costa.

The only difference is that they are playing in the largest and most popular promotions in the world, and I in ACA, which is the third largest on the planet.

But that doesn't mean that I will lose to their champion.

I'll take it out.

Bring me here Adesanya and I will show who is who.

It all depends on your approach to business.

The more serious the opponent, the more painstaking the preparation for the battle with him.

- Over the years, the

- Don't look at the fact that a person performs in the UFC.

After all, there is an example of the same Peter Jan.

Most recently, he fought in the ACB, and now owns the belt in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

And this despite the fact that many called him a "chemist".

They said that he works all five rounds and does not fizzle out.

- Speaking about doping, in an interview with

- You can blame anyone.

To say: “This person drives from 90 kilograms to 84, so he is a“ chemist ”.

But these are the realities.

We live and perform in Russia.

This is not controlled here.

Without accepting anything, you always run the risk of entering the cage and standing in front of a "charged" opponent.

Plus, I don't consider the same growth hormone, norditropin, to be doping.

It is sold at the pharmacy.

People tear their ligaments five times - what should they do?

I want to be a healthy person, so let them go away with their USADA and everything that comes with it.

Yes, I'm an athlete, but I'm doing crazy work and I want to fuel my body.

It will not turn out that first you plow, and then you try to compensate for everything with tea.

If necessary, I will drink Mildronate and other pills.

Aren't you worried that you might end up in a cage with some sort of steroid machine?

- No.

They will not teach him how to move, hit correctly, walk to his feet, avoid blows.

I had a time when I was afraid to go to the pharmacy.

I tortured my body, I thought that I could fight normally, eating buckwheat.

And at the same time he endured the "cheated" opponents.

But then I started having problems with one or the other.

Then I realized that this was not a serious approach.

Therefore, I believe that any athlete should nourish his body, regardless of age.

- But in this way, Russian fighters can put an end to their own career in the

- I will answer for myself, why do I need the UFC, which does not take care of my health?

If they came to me now from the anti-doping agency and said: “Don't drink Mildronate,” I would send them away.

Also, take a look at the fighters who are performing there.

Yoel Romero, Tyrone Woodley - I personally doubt they grew up on soup and tea.

Someone will always be ahead of USADA, but it will be forced to catch up.

- You have repeatedly said that it was not easy for you to gain weight to compete in the heavy category.

For the sake of a duel with which of the Russian fighters would you agree to rise to this division again?

- It all depends not on the opponent, but on the specific proposal.

I'm interested in money.

For 20 million rubles, I would agree to rise again in heavy weight, and I would like to receive another 15 million in case of victory

.

- More than a solid increase, given that you asked for 10 million rubles for the fight with Emelianenko ...

- In fact, I didn't earn 10 million rubles for the fight with Alexander.

The figure was somewhat less, but it completely suited me.

- You recorded a video message to Ksenia Sobchak on the situation with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on

- I want to say right away: we are against murder and violence.

And I, and Khabib, and others.

We do not support what exactly he (the murderer of a school teacher in France

) did.

It just so happened that in our statements the emphasis was on cartoons, and not on the actions of this man.

Naturally, when we are told that such images will be hung on buildings, this is exactly what we react to.

At the same time, I personally am suspicious of this whole situation.

Sorry, but where is the tape of this guy confessing to murder?

Why was his page blocked, and now we cannot see what exactly he wrote?

Now is the time for provocations.

If he really confessed to the crime, then publish these materials, provide evidence.

- What would you do if you saw such a cartoon?

- I'm not sure I could have resisted in such a case.

I do not exclude that I could hit the one who drew it, slap it in the face.

Then he would burn the painting.

But I would not kill him.

Although this hurts me more than insulting my parents.

- Some explain the creation of these cartoons by freedom of speech ...

- Let these people pretend that someone took and made a caricature of their deceased mother.

I drew her naked, in an offensive form.

And they will think how they would react to it.

Nobody could have taken it normally.

But murder is too much.

- Why did you turn to Ksenia Sobchak?

- I must say that Sobchak did not surprise me.

When I wondered who exactly could support this situation in France, it was she who came to mind.

Of course, I could call Macron himself a dirty animal, but it would hardly have reached him.

Ksenia was the only one who supported him here.

At least whom I personally saw.

Therefore, I decided to contact her.

- It turned out quite emotionally ...

- I never swear, so this is the cruellest thing you can hear from me.

It was very pleasant for me to call her a "dirty animal".

I hope this has brought relief not only to me but to many other people as well.

- In your opinion, should athletes speak out on such topics, or is it better to leave it to politicians?

For example, there is a famous story where a journalist advised LeBron James to "shut up and dribble" ...

- Does the fact that he is an athlete forbids him to be interested in the life of the country?

If a person wants to express his own opinion in something, then why not?

He can read books, be an educated person.