The decisive fight: why the fight in the Nurmagomedov league could mean the end of Shlemenko's career

Why did Shlemenko choose EFC?

The main reason is the lack of more lucrative offers from other promotions.

It is no secret that in the past year and a half Shlemenko has repeatedly stated both his desire to try his hand at the UFC and to fight at the first ever Russian Bellator tournament, but all this remained at the level of conversations.

Since December 2019, Shlemenko has had only one fight - in May 2021 at AMC Fight Nights 101, he defeated Marcio Santos, but the decision of the judges was considered more than controversial. All three referees gave the Russian three rounds (30:27), with which many experts disagreed, as well as the owner of the promotion, Amir Muradov. He said he would define a draw, but added that in Brazil, Santos could have been named as well.

According to Shlemenko himself, mixed martial arts are still the main source of income for him.

Therefore, he did not need another one and a half year pause in his performances.

And since it was not possible to show up at the Bellator show in Moscow for one reason or another, the EFC option came in handy.

For Alexander himself, this is a great opportunity to both earn money and demonstrate to potential employers that he is still in shape.

And for Khabib Nurmagomedov - to draw additional attention to his league.

Stars of the caliber of the ex-Bellator champion have not yet fought for him.

Why the transition to the UFC failed

and return to Bellator?

In this case, it would be best to turn to the words of Shlemenko himself, who has recently commented on the negotiations with American organizations on several occasions. On their basis, we can conclude that the signing of the contract with the Absolute Fighting Championship did not take place? because the proposal from Dana White and the company did not meet his requirements.

“I’ll put it simply: this (money. -

RT

) is one of the reasons why I still haven’t moved there (UFC). After all, I am a professional athlete, this is my only source of income. And the burden that falls on me - social, social - is great. I have a rather big family, I have to earn money. I do not argue that if I were 20 years old and everything would open up to me, this is one thing. But I am already an accomplished fighter, a former Bellator champion. And my career is gradually coming to an end. And therefore, you need to more competently approach such things. I had experience at Bellator: once you sign a contract, and then it's harder to terminate it. We must be more careful. You can sign a contract, but the question is, on what terms, "Shlemenko told Gazeta.Ru in July.

It is noteworthy that in the same interview and in a conversation with RT earlier, Shlemenko admitted that all this time Bellator was also interested in his services.

Moreover, Scott Cocker's offer was more attractive from a financial point of view.

Alexander was also considered as one of the participants in the Moscow tournament in October, but this time another stumbling block was discovered.

This time, the Russian was not satisfied with his position on the card show.

“Once again I will explain to people who almost do not understand: my fight is possible as one of the main ones - and there are two of them in the tournament.

And now both, in fact, are.

I give about 50 percent that I can perform at the Moscow show, ”Sport24 quotes Shlemenko. 

Can the transition to EFC

to become a springboard for Shlemenko in the UFC?

Yes, at one time Nurmagomedov said that he would like to make the Eagle Fighting Championship a kind of preparatory ground for the UFC.

And although so far there have been no direct transits from Russian to American promotion, there is hardly any doubt that over time, Khabib will be able to establish this process.

White is interested in promising fighters who can attract the attention of fans both in Russia and in Arab countries (for example, the UAE), and the former champion of the organization will certainly be able to contribute in this matter.

But Shlemenko hardly needs a recommendation from Nurmagomedov, and the current position of the Dagestan promotion does not contribute to his direct transition to the Absolute Fighting Championship.

If M-1 Global really had a contract on hand, according to which the champions of the Russian league could go to the UFC, then EFC does not have such an agreement.

What is remarkable about Shlemenko's rival?

Presenting the main fight of the October EFC tournament in Sochi, Nurmagomedov said that "two of the country's brightest drummers will enter the cage, in whose battles a whole generation has grown up."

And in some ways, Khabib is right.

Alexander Shlemenko and Artur Guseinov are famous for their striking technique, and most of their victories were won by knockout.

Moreover, for a Dagestani, this ratio is even higher - 66% versus 54%.

Nevertheless, in terms of his status, Huseynov is still noticeably inferior to Shlemenko. During his 16-year career in mixed martial arts, Arthur has not won a single belt, and this despite the fact that he mainly performed in Russia. During this time, he managed to fight in M-1 Global, Fight Nights and ACB, but everywhere he alternated victories with defeats. He was closest to the title in December 2019, but lost by unanimous decision to Dauren Yermekov at GFC 23. At the same time, he spent the last two fights with the same Santos - in April he lost by choke, and in August he achieved a draw.

Thus, the battle between Shlemenko and Huseynov is almost guaranteed to become bright and uncompromising, but the question is whether Arthur can withstand such a busy schedule.

For him, this fight will be the fifth in the last 14 months - a rather tight schedule for a 37-year-old athlete.

And given the fact that his chin is not so strong for a long time, any hit by Alexander could threaten to stop.

What awaits Shlemenko after the fight in the Nurmagomedov league?

Of course, this will primarily depend on the result.

The defeat may well mean the end of Shlemenko's career.

In this case, the ratio of victories and defeats in the last four battles will become equal, and this is not counting the ambiguous result of the battle with Santos.

After this, it is unlikely that you will have to wait for a lucrative offer from the UFC and Bellator, and Storm himself is unlikely to be able to fight in the undercard of Russian shows.

A convincing victory may well lead, if not to the signing of a contract with the American leagues, then at least to the organization of a major fight in Russia.

For a long time there has been talk of a battle between Shlemenko and Magomed Ismailov, and it may happen that they finally materialize.

By this time, the star middleweight will have resolved all issues with Vladimir Mineev and will be able to move on.

It is worth recalling that in this regard, Shlemenko's debut in the EFC can only contribute to the organization of their fight with Ismailov.

After defeating Ivan Shtyrkov in December 2020, Magomed himself admitted that he would like to fight in the Nurmagomedov league.

And the prospect of a battle with Alexander is an ideal excuse to fulfill this desire.

As for a possible return to Bellator, in the light of Shlemenko's demands, it seems incredible even if he succeeds in the battle with Guseinov. Given the tense relations between the parties, Cocker is unlikely to immediately put Alexander at the head of the tournament, and even more so he will organize a rematch with Geghard Musasi, the reigning middleweight champion. Yes, given the controversial referee's decision in the first fight, the return one would have attracted serious attention of the audience - the Russian one for sure. But for a promotion, it would be an extremely illogical decision, especially given the latest results from Storm.