"Ivan shook me emotionally": Ismailov on the victory over Shtyrkov and plans for the future

"The opponent shocked me emotionally"

Magomed Ismailov defeated Ivan Shtyrkov by unanimous decision at the ACA 115 tournament in Moscow.

The fight in the light heavyweight category lasted three allotted rounds, and the Bald Predator in each of them looked preferable to the Ural Hulk.

After the meeting, the triumphant paid tribute to his opponent, who, in his words, "breathed well, kept his distance and adhered to the plan."

“I did a good job, it was cool.

For me, this is not the defeat of Ivan Shtyrkov.

This is his first victory for me.

Guys performing at 93 kg, get ready.

First of all, the opponent shocked me emotionally.

Things happened that I did not expect, ”Ismailov admitted at a press conference.

Magomed asked for forgiveness from Shtyrkov for the blow, after which a hematoma formed under the eye.

The fighter admitted that he himself had a headache after the fight.

“Naturally, when Ivan was training in Dagestan, I shot like he was there.

And they told me in one voice that in the fight he was dead, everyone was strangling him, in the rack he was suffocating.

And I thought it couldn't be that bad.

Something inside told me not to relax and tune in, ”said the fighter.

Ismailov noted that it was much more difficult to transfer Shtyrkov to the ground than Alexander Emelianenko, with whom he met in July 2020 at the heavyweight division.

“I first shocked Alexander, and only then knocked him down.

This time it didn't work out.

We both got hooked.

Here something else already worked.

You hit, and he stands.

Ivan is very muscular and hard to break.

In my opinion, once he did swim when I hit from below.

That's when I was close to an early victory.

But it is not important.

When they told me that everything would end in the first or second round, I replied that I was a smart person and I understand that it would be a tough fight.

Stop writing that Vanya had no chance, you look stupid.

He had more chances than my previous rivals, ”Ismailov called.

An unusual episode occurred immediately after the battle.

Ismailov handed over to the head of ACA Aleksey Yatsenko a voodoo doll with an ax in his head.

Recall that before the fight, a voodoo doll with a fighter's face was sent to the organization's office, into which several needles were stuck.

According to Magomed, he calmly and even with humor reacted to such an anonymous "gift", although some of his relatives were upset.

“I calmly react to such things - read a prayer and turn to the Almighty.

That's enough for me.

And my parents and relatives were agitated.

And in preparation, I don't want to hear the worried calls from my family.

They took it hard.

Some even cried.

If this gift was addressed to me, it had to be given personally, ”he said.

As for future plans, at the moment the most attractive rival for Ismailov is Cuban Yoel Romero, who was dismissed from the UFC after three defeats.

The fighter admitted that he was interested in a duel in which he would not be the undisputed favorite.

“It would be better to have a fight with Yoel than with Vanya.

Because then they would say: "Yes, he will destroy the Magu, this is not his level!"

And this time it was said about me.

Ivan had the same position in which I was during the fight with Emelianenko.

When you lose, you are happy if you did at least something, ”Ismailov explained.

At the same time, many fans of mixed martial arts are counting on Ismailov's revenge with one of his previous rivals - with Emelianenko or Vladimir Mineev.

“There won't be a second fight with Shtyrkov, unless something gets into my big head.

I can offer him to train in my camp.

And Alexander needs to talk to me.

We talked on the phone, he called to him for bread and salt, for tea with chocolate.

I would love to help.

We have a history with Vladimir.

I asked for revenge, and he said that he was not interested in me.

Then I thought: “Okay, let's see who is not interested in whom,” Magomed said.

At the same time, it was assumed that the victory over Shtyrkov would open the doors for Ismailov to other promotional companies.

However, according to him, there is no talk about it yet.

“Amir Muradov (new owner of Fight Nights Global. -

) is a close friend of mine.

I did not expect that he would allow himself such an acquisition.

But their presence in the hall does not mean anything yet.

You just need to rest, ”Ismailov said.

At the end of the press conference, they talked about the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired at the end of October after defeating Justin Gaethje.

“I want to congratulate Khabib.

I am very glad that he left the sport beautifully.

Athletes like him - Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, Muhammad Ali - have to leave undefeated.

I think Abdulmanap would also be glad to see such an end to his son's career.

He left number one.

Would I agree if he calls me into his promotion?

Of course, this is Khabib Nurmagomedov.

I'll come and talk, ”concluded Ismailov.

"Now I know what I am capable of"

Shtyrkov, despite the second defeat in his career, was pleased with the fight.

According to him, a meeting with such a powerful and speedy opponent not only became a challenge for him, but also made him change professionally.

“Nonsense, I have not suffered in any way, but on the contrary, in a huge plus.

I think there was another Shtyrkov in the cage.

A negative result is not encouraging, but digging deeper, it was a challenge for me.

Don't just hyip, add followers and get attention.

This is an opportunity to grow as a fighter, professional, personality.

Now I know what I'm capable of.

I'm sure they didn't give me a chance even for a round.

I proved the opposite and I can be proud of it, ”Shtyrkov shared his impressions.

According to him, the current meeting and preparations for it were significantly different from his previous confrontations.

That is why he lacked self-confidence to win.

“If I knew what I was capable of, I would have fought more in this form.

If I believed in myself, I could show myself even better.

I'm ashamed to admit, but I myself didn't know how much I had grown.

But now I am extremely happy, because for the first time I was at the limit.

I am glad that it turned out to disappoint the people who bet against me, ”the fighter said.

On the positive side, he attributed the fact that he was able to resist Ismailov in the fight and not give him freedom of action on the ground.

“Everyone knew perfectly well that Magician fights better than me, as he has been doing this since childhood.

But I was able to defend myself.

Yes, there were takedowns, but I didn't let him do anything special there.

Get up, get up.

The opponent had one good direct blow - and that lateral one, after which I had a hematoma.

Everything else went to the elbows, in defense.

I don’t count such blows, ”Shtyrkov noted.

In conclusion, the fighter thanked his coach and spoke about his future plans.

“I am ready to resume preparations next week.

The injuries will pass and I can train again.

I am very grateful to the Magician.

Yes, I lost, but you can lose in different ways.

And I lost to one of the best representatives of our sport, ”concluded Shtyrkov.