- Today you will have a duel with Daniel de Almeida, nicknamed Joubileo. How would you rate your condition in front of him?
- All perfectly.
I spent two or three hard training sessions and am in good shape.
This time the weight race was much easier - for me it is not a problem to keep within the limit of the lightest division (up to 61.2 kilograms).
Was in weight on the eve of the official procedure.
- Speaking of weight-lifting, many fighters approach this process in different ways. Some limit themselves to the utmost in everything, others continue to actively use sweet and flour products and still fit into the limit. What are you doing?
- Six weeks before the tournament I go on a diet - I consume no more than 1500 kilocalories a day.
Three times a day they bring me the necessary food, I eat only in this way.
At the same time, I try not to exceed the limit, even if the weight decreases faster than I expected.
Perhaps that is why, before today's fight, the cutting process was so easy.
Two days before the weigh-in, I had only two kilograms left to lose.
I removed 90% of them in the first day, and then dealt with the rest.
- What does your diet consist of in preparation for contractions?
- I myself do not choose what I will eat.
I indicate the required calorie content and order food for the day.
As for the menu, it rarely contains meat, protein mainly comes from fish.
There are also buckwheat, rice, vegetables.
Sometimes even desserts.
True, I try to eat them in the morning.
- If we recall the period of performances in the lightest division (up to 56.7 kg), how much easier is the cut now?
- Then I went on a diet for two months, but the last 3-4 kg were given very difficult.
Now everything is different.
Usually I need to lose about ten, and seven of them go away only due to the calorie cut.
At the same time, I do not experience any hunger or dehydration.
For me, 1500 kilocalories per day is optimal.
Perhaps someone needs more.
- Some fighters drove 10 kg a week before the fight. What was your personal best?
- I tried not to engage in extreme weight races.
It happened that a week before weighing, I had six extra pounds left.
Recently, and not more than four at all.
The faster you get rid of the mass, the more difficult it is to recover.
I try to make this process as comfortable as possible in order to feel normal in the fight itself.
At the same time, I once started preparing for a battle, exceeding the category limit by 16.5 kg.
Due to injury, I gained weight, so I had to sweat to keep within the limit of the lightest division.
But then there was more than a month left before the tournament.
- A
fight between Rasul Mirzaev and Nurbergen Sharipov was supposed to take place on
ACA 118.
But the Kazakhstani exceeded the limit by 4.5 kilograms, and the battle was canceled.
What could be the reason for such a huge advantage?
- A person may not take weight race seriously.
Not dieting and hoping to be able to compensate for everything in the last week.
Maybe one day he did something like that, and he decided that he would do it in the future.
Another option is also possible, in which the fighter purposefully walked towards the goal, but at the decisive moment the body failed.
A similar thing happened to me once.
I sat in the steam room for about 40 minutes, but the water did not come out, as a result of which I managed to throw off only 200 grams.
Although both muscles and mass were with me.
- How did you get out of that situation?
- Used a bath with salt.
This is an extreme measure in such cases.
Honestly, I hate this method.
But for the sake of the result, you have to sacrifice something.
-
Another championship match will take place at
ACA 120, in which Felipe Froes and Magomedrasul Khasbulaev will fight.
At the same time, the Brazilian will not be able to qualify for the belt, since for the second time in a row he cannot meet the featherweight limit.
Does this indicate that he should climb a division higher?
- Felipe is a big fighter for the category up to 65.8 kilograms.
And two failed weigh-in in a row is a clear signal that you need to lift in weight.
But some people are hesitant to do it.
They think they won't succeed.
Perhaps it’s just not enough spirit.
In the course of his career, he himself experienced similar problems.
When the weight race was not easy, in the end I thought: "That's it, I'll definitely play the next fight in another division."
And then I kept within the limit, and these thoughts went away.
I tried to persuade myself: "Since this time it worked out, I can do it again."
But after the battle with Josiel Silva, I firmly decided to compete in the lightest category, and there I already won two early victories.
Yes, the rivals are big, it's hard to compete with them.
But you can get the upper hand not due to power, but due to speed, endurance, unpredictability.
- Joubileo, though a little, but surpasses you in anthropometry ...
- Yes, he is very massive, he drives a lot.
But I plan to replay him too.
- What is your opinion of your future opponent?
- I would not say that there is something special about him.
A good tough fighter, always fighting to the last.
Goubileo not only won the belt, but also defended it several times.
And he also won my sparring partners.
Daniel is dangerous in a stance, hitting very hard for a bantamweight fighter.
But there are problems with the "functional".
He is not fast, although he attacks great at the race.
Therefore, the main thing for me in this battle is not to miss some unexpected, stupid blow.
At the same time, I do not believe that the Brazilian is better than me in any aspect.
- Is the fact that de Almeida beat your teammates an additional motivation for you?
- Of course, but now I try not to think about it that way.
Once I went into a cage with a desire to avenge my comrades, but over the years the fighters become smarter.
Now I try to approach the battles as calmly as possible and abstract from external factors as much as possible.
But I will not hide that both me and many others will be especially pleased if I get the better of Goubileo.
- If we take a track record, then you are one of the most eminent representatives of the card:
ACB and
WSOF
titles , experience of playing in the
UFC.
However, you are not particularly trying to promote yourself on
Instagram, although now many people determine the status of a fighter by the number of followers.
- It's not in my repertoire.
I'm not particularly interested in becoming a media fighter.
Therefore, I rarely agree to participate in all sorts of programs, even give interviews very rarely.
I like to fight, to remain humble both in the cage and outside.
If I wanted to become a popular fighter, I would behave differently.
- Many fans use social networks to get a better understanding of their favorite fighter, to understand what he is doing. But in your case, it is extremely difficult for fans to form an idea of you. Describe what is the ideal day in the life of Magomed Bibulatov?
- I really like to sleep, so I would not wake up earlier than lunch.
In the evening I would go to the gym, and spend the day at home.
Honestly, I rarely get out somewhere.
Sitting in a restaurant is a rarity for me.
- There are many things to do at home too.
- I can play video games in my free time.
If possible, then on the computer, no - on the phone.
Yes, not the brightest life: home - training, training - home.
I can meet friends, but the problem is that I myself live in Grozny, and they live in the village.
Therefore, we usually see each other once every two weeks.
- What video games do you prefer?
- I mostly play PUBG.
It turns out pretty good.
I would give myself a "four" myself.
They call me to take part in various tournaments, but I refuse.
I know that I will most likely lose there.
- Magomed Ismailov admitted that it was very difficult for him to experience failures in video games and broke gamepads several times. Has this happened to you?
- It can be very annoying, but to break the phone ... I'm not such an idiot
(laughs)
.
Still buying a new one because of this.
Plus, it's not the process itself that makes me angry, but my friends, with whom I play on the same team, as well as cheaters.
If I see this, I immediately send a complaint.
True, once this happened to me.
- Why?
- Single-handedly interrupted the entire opposing team, and I was banned for a day.
- Many fighters prefer to play in the
UFC.
Are you one of them?
- Not.
From sports simulators I prefer Pro Evolution Soccer.
Pretty good at it.
- Why not
FIFA?
- I've always liked PES better - ever since I had a PlayStation One.
Probably used to management, "physics".
At one point I tried to play FIFA, but did not like it.
- What team do you play for?
- Usually for the strongest.
And so in every league I have my favorite clubs.
In Germany - Borussia Dortmund, in Italy - Milan, in England - Liverpool and Chelsea, we have, first of all, Akhmat, and in European cups I support CSKA and Zenit.
In Spain I prefer Real.
He also supported Barcelona when Ronaldinho played for them.
As soon as he left, he stopped.
At the same time, my favorite club is Paris Saint-Germain.
At one time I lived in Paris - not far from the Parc des Princes stadium.
- Now Killian Mbappe and Erling Holland are considered to be the most promising footballers in the world. Many call them the heirs of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In your opinion, which of them will become the future main sports star?
- Holland is very good now: he scores a lot both for the national team and for the club.
And this is despite the fact that his partners are not the strongest.
Paris Saint-Germain has a much more powerful roster, so Mbappe has much more serious support.
This reminds me of the situation at Barcelona, where the same Messi was assisted by Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
I think this will affect the case of Killian.
In the near future it will look preferable.
- In the next round of the Champions League playoffs, Paris Saint-Germain will face the current winner of the tournament, Bayern Munich. Will the French be able to take revenge on the Germans for last year's final?
- I hope that this time PSG will succeed.
If they beat Bayern, they will win the Champions League.
But still, I think that the Munich people are the main favorites.
- Since you are so fond of football, you probably watched the match between the national teams of Russia and Malta in the qualifying tournament for the World Cup. What are your impressions of the game?
- The Russian national team looks a little worse with weak teams than with strong ones.
In the match with Malta we performed so-so, but the main thing is the result.
I think that Stanislav Cherchesov's charges will show themselves better with more serious opponents.
You shouldn't judge by one meeting.
In the end, they scored three goals and won.
- Returning to the topic of popularity. Many were delighted with your roundhouse kick against Rodrigo Praia. The spinner turned out to be very effective and even helped you win the
ACA Knockout of the Year award
.
Is this the most beautiful victory of your career?
- Certainly.
In general, I didn’t win with deaf knockouts that often.
Yes, it happened to finish off opponents with a series of blows, but to be so effective - no.
- At one time, Edson Barbosa won a battle with Terry Ethym in the
UFC with a similar blow
.
Who do you think the blow was more effective?
- Of course, at Barbosa's.
It is noteworthy that at one time he was also awarded a statuette for "Knockout of the Year", so he forgot it in the Iron Army hall in New Jersey.
During my UFC performances, I trained under Mark Henry at this camp and saw that award.
- The knockout performed by Barbosa is considered one of the most striking in the history of mixed martial arts. Which ones do you personally remember?
- Of course, Edson's turntable is one of my favorites.
He noted the blow of Mairbek Taysumov in the fight with Felipe Silva, as well as the knockouts performed by Anderson Silva in the battles with Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin.
- Which famous fighter was a kind of source of inspiration for you at the beginning of your career?
- I would not say that I wanted to be like this or that athlete.
One of them admired my striking technique, the other - wrestling skills, the third - the fighting style.
For example, in the stand I was always impressed by Kane Velasquez.
In terms of wrestling, no one stands next to Khabib Nurmagomedov - how he transfers opponents to the flooring, how he “knits” below.
Others try to do the same, but they can't do it as easily as he does.
Charles Oliveira is impressive in grappling.
Look at how many early submission victories he scored.
Putting it all together, the coolest fighter is Demetrius Johnson.
It is he who is the most balanced MMA athlete.
- If you were offered to fight Johnson, would you agree?
- To be honest, I would prefer a fight with Demetrius even to return to the UFC.
I will not say that this is my dream, but I would very much like to fight with him.
- Besides Johnson, who would it be interesting to meet? Perhaps Henry Sejudo or Peter Jan?
- Others are not particularly interested.
Henry is an interesting option, but I think Demetrius is a stronger fighter.
As for Peter, why should I fight him?
We have a good relationship, we are constantly in touch.
But now I don't even think about it.
All thoughts are only about Jubileo.
- As far as we know, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is closely following your successes. Did he give you advice before the tournament?
- He said not to rush, not to fight spectacularly, the main thing is the result.
Calmly and coolly conduct the first rounds, and then look at the situation.
He contacted me the day before and asked how the weight race went.
Ramzan Akhmatovich very closely follows all the fighters, is in the know, constantly worried about us.
And when he is worried, then we feel it.
- Would you include your opponent among the strongest opponents in your career?
- Yes.
Joubileo is hitting hard, so he should be wary of.
But I would put Said Nurmagomedov in the first place.
He has a huge arsenal of punches, he is very dangerous in standing and wrestling.
At the same time, there were enough serious rivals, the same Donavan Freilow, with whom he fought for the WSOF title.
- Now Said is playing well in the
UFC and has good chances to soon break into the top 15 bantamweight.
What do you think he can achieve in the American promotion?
- Of course, he can achieve a lot.
It is important to set a goal for yourself and train hard to achieve it.
Jan demonstrated how to do this.
You can also remember the same Zabit Magomedsharipov, who performs very well in the UFC and has already managed to beat many top fighters.
- Now Magomedsharipov has a strange period in his career - for a long time he cannot find an opponent. Should Zabit continue to wait for the perfect offer from the matchmakers, or is it better to return to the cage as soon as possible?
- Personally, I don't understand why he waited so long for the opportunity to fight Yair Rodriguez.
He lost a lot of time and now it is not known what his mood is.
Personally, I read an interview with his coach Mansur Uchakaev, who said that he had problems with motivation.
When you have such a long downtime, you have to fight anyone.
- Recently you yourself wrote that if you succeed, you will become the owner of the titles
ACB,
WSOF and
ACA.
After that, can you say that you have achieved everything you wanted in MMA?
- If I win tomorrow, I'll just go down in history, nothing more.
I know one thing: no matter how it ends, after the fight with Joubileo I will take a break for six months.
I need to rest, finish building the house, get busy.
I feel a little tired mentally.
It's not about physical activity.
I can handle them better than younger athletes.
But old injuries also need to be healed.
Now a lot of microdamages have accumulated.
At the training camp, one thing or another hurts.
I would like to take at least one long break during these 20 years, and then return healthy.
- Therefore, in 2021, you should not wait for the return of Magomed Bibulatov?
- If everything goes well, then yes.
But let's see what the ACA leaders say.
They are like older brothers to me, what they say I will do.
However, I think that they will meet me halfway.