"There will be a technical knockout on the ground": what is discussed before the fight between Mineev and Ismailov at AMC Fight Night 104

On October 16, one of the most anticipated fights of the year in Russian mixed martial arts will take place at the WoW Arena in Sochi.

In the main event of the AMC Fight Night 104 tournament, Magomed Ismailov and Vladimir Mineev will meet.

The middleweight title will be at stake, and the fight itself will be the second between these athletes.

In the first, which took place in 2018, a controversial draw was recorded, and the fight itself then caused a tremendous resonance among MMA fans.

Since then, discussions about the revenge have not subsided, and the conflict between the fighters has escalated to the limit - Ismailov and Mineev not only sharply spoke out against each other, but also regularly clashed with each other even outside the cage.

The favorite of the upcoming battle is considered to a greater extent "Bald Predator".

This is evidenced by the quotes of bookmakers - the coefficient for his victory is 1.72 against 2.20 for Mineev.

It is likely that this is due to the status of the rivals that the native of Tagil managed to defeat over the past two years - Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, Artem Frolov, Alexander Emelianenko and Ivan Shtyrkov.

Ismailov himself assumes that the battle will last all five rounds and end with a referee's decision.

At the same time, he is not going to deviate from his style and intends to defeat his opponent on the ground, so Mineev clearly needs to worry about this.

In addition, Magomed considers the upcoming fight to be the most important in his career.

“With Shtyrkov, with Frolov, with Vasilevsky and with Emelianenko, everything was fine in my relationship.

And here it is not all right ... I go through difficult conditions in the gym, in a super discomfortable mode.

There could be no more uncomfortable conditions in a cage with Mineev.

I will be comfortable there.

I have now left my comfort zone because of Vladimir Mineev.

And every time I am out of my comfort zone, I hate him more and more ... In a sporty way, I will be cruel in this confrontation, ”Sport24 quotes Ismailov.

His opponent, in turn, said that before the fight he was injured in training: stretching and partial rupture of the acromioclavicular joint.

However, the 31-year-old athlete does not intend to cancel the fight as a sign of respect for the audience and remains confident in his success.

“Since I beat Ismailov with one arm in the first fight, this time I will beat him even harder.

Based on his recent fights, if you analyze it, then 60% of the time he spends in a standing position.

I don't see a great wrestling component here.

Yes, he has the power, he can demolish, squeeze, but this is probably the end of the wrestling story.

Then you have to beat, "Mineev said on the YouTube channel of the commentator Ruslan Gumilyov.

According to him, he got in good shape, and in preparation he began to eat less, spend more sparring sessions and work in the gym.

“Fundamentally, nothing new is happening in the preparation.

In general, my transition from kickboxing to MMA was associated with gaining wrestling skills, and the confrontation with Ismailov is like a litmus test, he is a pronounced wrestler, I think nothing will change in his tactics for a fight from the first confrontation.

He will use strengths and emphasize fighting.

Of course, he can surprise in a standing position, in the first rounds he has a heavy blow, can be dangerous and deliver unexpected blows, but this does not affect the preparation in any way, ”Mineev emphasized.

The head of AMC Fight Nights Kamil Hajiyev expressed the opinion that the champion of the organization will be able to defeat Ismailov ahead of schedule.

According to the promoter, he will knock out his opponent in the fourth round.

“I understand that Maga is getting ready and will be functionally charged.

But I think that by the end of the fourth round it will be very hard for him physically, ”Hajiyev said.

The same forecast is given by the Bellator title holder Vadim Nemkov, who believes that the native of Yekaterinburg breathes better during fights than the Bald Predator, and also has a decent blow and is well defended against transfer to the ground.

“The magician fights well, but I think he makes a lot of unnecessary movements.

If he does it more economically, then due to the struggle he can drag.

And if he again fights at an exhausting pace, it will be difficult for him for five rounds, "RIA Novosti quotes Nemkov.

However, there are those who prefer Ismailov.

So, as the owner of AMC Fight Nights Amir Muradov notes, the 35-year-old fighter shows psychological stability before confrontation, which gives him an advantage.

Former opponent of Magomed Ivan Shtyrkov also suggests an outcome in favor of the native of Nizhny Tagil.

“I am more inclined to believe that the fight will cover the entire distance, but there is a feeling that it can end ahead of schedule in the second half.

I think there will be a technical knockout on the ground ... Maga will impose a fight, because he understands that his fight is better than that of Vova, and he did not defend very well from it in the last fight, while Maga had strength, ”Shtyrkov said.

At the same time, the brother and coach of the Bald Predator Ramazan Ismailov emphasized that it does not matter at all whether Magomed will be able to get an early victory, and not on points.

“The most important thing is to win.

And we'll see there.

Yes, it will turn out to be beaten, it is necessary to beat.

You should not leave with such an attitude from the very beginning, you should follow the instructions that are given to you from the corner.

There are athletes who accelerate for a long time, they need to be held back.

There are those who, on the contrary, need to be charged a little, ”Ramadan stressed.