- In May you will have a duel with Augusto Sakai. How did the negotiations go?
- Nothing unusual.
For a long time, I have not had any fights.
Therefore, I did not hesitate for a long time when the offer came to fight with the Brazilian.
We are next to each other in the ranking.
This is probably why the matchmakers decided to bring us together.
Check who is better.
- Despite the recent defeat, Sakai continues to be one of the youngest and most promising heavyweight fighters. Don't you think that the promotion at your expense is trying to push Augusto higher?
“I don’t think about it.
Everyone wants to win.
Personally, I also respect Sakai and consider him a talented fighter.
For me, this fight is a great chance to close the defeat to Curtis Blades at UFC 242 and prove myself.
- The fight is scheduled for May 1 - 11 days before the end of Ramadan. Will this affect your preparation?
- I hope that there will be no problems.
After all, what else is there?
We will adapt.
It is encouraging that now I am in good shape.
I think I can keep it until the tournament.
- Will your diet and training change in any way?
- Of course, some things will have to be changed.
But in general, the regime will be slightly different: I will fast in the morning, and the main meal will be in the evening.
I am sure there will be time for training.
Earlier I also performed in Ramadan.
“Sakai is considerably younger than you. At the time of the battle, he will not even be 30 years old. Will this be an advantage for him or, on the contrary, can the difference in experience affect him?
- In my opinion, the most important thing is to properly prepare for the fight.
Undoubtedly, age can be a help for Augusto.
He will surely feel good.
But let's see in what form I will appear.
I can say that now I feel great, I can breathe well.
- In 2020, Sakai had two fights, while you last fought in September 2019, and fights with Cyril Gan were canceled twice. What caused it?
- Last year was difficult for me.
In the course of it, I was ill three times: first I suffered a coronavirus, and then I caught a serious cold twice.
Because of this, he could not even go out to battle with Gan a second time.
The first thing was about the opponent.
- Despite the problems, in 2020 Gan still fought against the former champion Junior Dos Santos. And recently he fought with Jairzinho Rosenstrik - both representatives of the top 5 at the time of the fight. You will meet with the ninth number of the rating. Isn't it offensive?
- In the UFC, the following logic is followed: if a fighter has a defeat in his track record, then the first thing to do is to close him and only then go forward.
In September 2019, I lost and now I have to fight the one who is below me in the ranking.
If I beat Sakai, the situation will change.
- Athletes carry the coronavirus in different ways. The same Anatoly Malykhin ended up in intensive care. How was it with you?
- Personally, I did not suffer a severe coronavirus.
However, the immune system weakened, and for a while I felt unwell.
The first time after recovery I got tired very quickly.
I could not even take the children in my arms, play with them.
I felt sluggishness in the muscles.
Of course, all the typed form was completely lost.
I had to work hard to recover.
- Have your indicators returned to the previous level now?
- Yes.
Seven to eight months have passed since that moment.
There was enough time to recover.
- The battle with Sakai will be your first in 20 months. Aren't you afraid to go into the octagon as a kind of "rusty" one?
- The rust has already been greased, so there is no fear.
I don't feel that the simple has affected me in any way.
Usually, the first thing is the feeling of distance, but I continued to actively train, so there is no problem with that.
- In this context, you can remember the return of John Jones in 2016. Then he barely defeated Ovins Saint-Prue and, on the whole, did not make the best impression. And this despite the fact that the break between performances was 15 months - less than yours.
- In my opinion, then the reason could be not only simple.
In anticipation of that fight, Jones worked a lot with iron, which he talked about on social networks.
Perhaps this was the case.
John didn’t manage to sort of throw himself out.
Maybe he was just too careful.
- After the fight with Curtis Blades, you said that you were not ready to confront such a physically powerful opponent. Have you shifted the emphasis towards strength training yourself?
- Throughout my career, I regularly trained with a barbell, iron, but recently I have been exercising even more.
On the eve of the first canceled fight with Gan, I gained muscle mass and was in good shape.
- Earlier you noted that there are no necessary conditions in Dagestan to prepare for battles. Namely, a sufficient number of sparring partners. Has the situation changed now?
- In general, it is always difficult for heavyweights to find sparring partners.
And this is not about Dagestan, problems with this arise everywhere.
My brother helps me to get ready - he should come very soon.
I also work with several wrestlers.
- Are you planning to prepare for the battle with Sakai exclusively in Dagestan?
- I thought I'd go to the training camp in the USA a month before the tournament.
But there is no certainty yet.
The manager contacts the halls, discusses this issue.
- Have you considered the opportunity to go to Moscow and train with Alexander Volkov?
- A similar option could be considered.
Undoubtedly, there are good sparring partners there.
But, in my opinion, the capital is not the place where you should prepare for battles.
Constant travel is tiring and time-consuming.
It is uncomfortable to work in such conditions.
I like it when everything is at hand, and you can get to the place you need in a maximum of a quarter of an hour.
In the capital, the journey can take from an hour to two.
- In a conversation, one of the founders of
Strela
Team Taras Kiyashko said that all the top Russian heavyweights passed through the hall.
You did this camp and what are your impressions?
- Yes.
When I was preparing for one of the battles in Moscow, I visited Strela Team twice a week.
I can only say good things about the hall.
And Kiyashko is a very nice person.
- How would you rate the performance of his ward
Alexander Volkov in the fight with Alistair Overeem?
- What can I say.
Volkov demonstrated the highest level of skill.
- At the moment, can he be called the strongest Russian heavyweight?
- All you need to do is look at the rating.
If a person stands above the rest in him, then he is the best.
- But you shouldn't always trust the rating. Conor McGregor is still in the top 15 fighters, regardless of category, although in the last four years he only defeated Donald Cerrone.
“I can't say anything about McGregor.
But Volkov is in his place.
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- In your opinion, can Volkov be the next to receive the status of the first contender for the title?
- Almost every fighter from the top 5 has a chance.
The competition is very high.
But in my opinion, Volkov is closer to the title fight than the others.
- Who is the more convenient opponent for Volkov - Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannu or John Jones?
- First of all, Volkov himself will be inconvenient for each of the aforementioned fighters.
I don't think any of them will be able to pull him into the ground and create the same problems for him as Blades.
Most likely, the battle will take place in a standing position, and Alexander is very strong there.
There will be a wheelhouse in which anything can happen.
- Were you surprised by Blades' recent defeat by Derrick Lewis?
“Personally, I thought Curtis would win.
But he relied too much on his striking technique and decided to fight in a standing position.
Apparently, he was inspired by the recent victory over Junior Dos Santos.
I think if Blades had immediately transferred Lewis to the flooring, he would have won.
But he began to do not his own business.
And Derrick has to be given credit.
He pretends very well
(laughs)
.
However, the result does not mean that Lewis has added much in the fight.
At one time, I also fought with him, constantly knocked him down, surpassed him on the ground.
Then the problems with the collarbone affected.
She let me down and prevented me from taking over.
- Blades have won four wins in a row and have long been considered the second strongest heavyweight after Ngannou. Now he has dropped out of the championship race and is forced to endure the bullying of the prankers on the phone. Can this defeat break him psychologically?
- Do not pay attention to those who allow themselves such tricks.
These are people who are very far from sports in general and MMA in particular.
Perhaps in the future, Blades will be overly cautious for fear of missing another heavy blow.
At the same time, there is a possibility that his beard is already glass.
Still, three defeats and all by knockout ... Morally, it can be difficult to get through this.
But who knows.
Perhaps she will use the services of a psychologist.
It is here that people are in no hurry to contact such specialists, but they regularly go to the USA.
- You yourself have not consulted a sports psychologist?
- Not.
I had no reason.
I myself can advise anyone
(laughs)
.
We have young fighters in the hall, the younger generation.
Sometimes I explain something to them, I teach them.
This is also a kind of psychological help.
- At the same tournament, Alexey Oleinik suffered a second defeat in a row. Don't you think it's time for him to think about retirement? Still 43 years old is a mature age even for a heavy weight.
- Speaking of age, I myself am closer to Oleinik than to Sakai.
Seriously, I don’t know what state Alexei is in now.
We used to talk a lot with him, but recently we rarely talk.
However, he earns my sincere respect.
At this age, staying in great shape, going into a cage, winning is worth a lot.
- In September you will be 40 years old. Do you still have thoughts of retirement from the sport?
- I first thought about retirement when I was about 30. But it's not easy to hang up your gloves when you've been doing mixed martial arts all your life.
Dreams are the last to die, and mine is still alive.
- How long is your current contract with the
UFC calculated for
?
- I signed an agreement for four fights.
Now I am in eighth place in the ranking, and there is still hope of winning the title.
Perhaps someone does not believe in me.
The main thing is that I do not doubt myself.
One or two victories and you can go upstairs.
The main thing is to have health.
And with this it has not been so easy lately.
- You said that you first thought about leaving the sport at the age of 30. What caused it?
- It was all about the environment.
Someone said that it was time to finish, they assured that the peak had already been passed and that it was necessary to leave.
But it didn't let me go so easily.
I thought and imagined what else I could achieve, where to speak.
And to be honest, I like it all, that's why I continue to fight.
I still have time to lie on the bed.
As long as there is health and strength, we drown.
- You have already headed the
UFC tournament
, performed at the first ever Russian promotion show.
Is there something special that you would like to do before retirement?
- Of course, first of all I think about the belt, but I would also like to close the recent defeats.
Take revenge on Blades and Lewis.
- Who do you see yourself after leaving the
UFC?
Are you planning to start coaching or would you like to get in touch with MMA again?
- I do not exclude that I want to become a coach.
Maybe I'll decide to put together a heavyweight team and train with them.
But for now I try not to think about it.
When you start to fully prepare other athletes, you no longer focus on your own career.
- At the
UFC
Vegas 20 tournament
, a duel took place between Magomed Ankalaev and Nikita Krylov - in fact, two Russians.
How do you yourself feel about the idea of fighting compatriots in the American promotion?
- Of course, it's better to fight with foreigners.
But in the UFC it does not happen like this: with whom he wanted, he fought with that.
Whom they give, with that you will fight.
The main thing is to shake hands after the fight and remain friends.
- If you were offered to fight with Volkov, Oleinik or Sergey Pavlovich, would you agree?
- And what remains?
To rise to the top of the rankings, you need to beat those who are taller than you.
This is a job.
I am sure Volkov and Pavlovich think the same way and would go for it if there was a need.
I think, perhaps, no one would fight with Oleinik.
He is greatly respected.