All Russia is waiting for the battle Shlemenko - Emeev", declared proudly Vadim Finkelshtein, announcing the participation of the Omsk Storm in the main fight of M-1 Challenge 75 in Moscow, but Ramazan himself immediately announced that it would not be him who would fight Alexander.
The first thing MMA fans thought about was Anatoly Tokov, who had a fairly equal fight with Emeev and could have become a real test for Alexander. Alas, now everything suggests that the student Fedor Emelianenko will take part in the February Bellator tournament together with his mentor, in other words, he is definitely not in the mood for a fight against Shlemenko in early March. Before you get disappointed and sprinkle ashes on your head, let's think about who else can come up against Shlemenko and how all this can end.
Candidate #1:
Shlemenko - Vasilevsky– this is a true story without end. Although Alexander won two victories in a row, the audience knows for sure that a spectacle is guaranteed. Moreover, Storm successfully resumed his career in Bellator, and Vyacheslav received the right to fight for the ACB title against Alberta Duraeva, but withdrew only due to an ear injury. Since the date of the championship fight has not yet been determined, Mairbek Khasiev He may well meet his St. Petersburg colleague halfway and let Vasilevsky go for the third series of the confrontation against Storm.
If Alexander wins, it will be a good help before the fight for the Bellator title, and if he loses, he is unlikely to lose anything, since this fight can be considered an intermediate one, to maintain his tone in the pause between performances overseas. True, defeat is different from defeat.
Candidate No. 2: Artyom Frolov
At first glance, the representative of Krasnodar clearly has not reached the level of Shlemenko, but a series of eight victories, seven of which were won ahead of schedule, including the last one over Luigi Fioranti, does Frolova a very attractive opponent. Among other things, Artyom has proven himself to be an excellent fighter, which adds additional intrigue to the battle with Storm. If Frolov wins, he can easily reach Ramazana Emeeva and fight for the title, and for Shlemenko, defeat will become a litmus test of his own weaknesses and shortcomings. As for Storm's victory, many will consider this result logical.
Candidate No. 3: Vitaly Bigdash
If M-1 manages to send the One FC champion to Moscow, the fight promises to be no less exciting. According to the rules of mixed martial arts Bigdash won nine victories in a row without suffering a single defeat. He is equally good at striking and wrestling skills. Of course, Vitaly did not have opponents of Shlemenko’s level, but any fighter gains fame only in battles with the best. Moreover, Bigdash himself demonstrates stable professional growth, and the championship belt of a top-ten organization is just another confirmation of this. If Omsk wins, he can be considered the unofficial champion of One FC, but if he loses, then we can expect a new series of confrontations and the emergence of a new Russian middleweight star.
Candidate No. 4: Vladimir Mineev
Strange as it may sound, but the fight Mineeva and Shlemenko is one of the most anticipated in the Russian middleweight division. At one time, Vladimir and Alexander exchanged pleasantries on social networks, which laid the foundation for the intrigue of a possible fight. It is worth noting that this fight has quite a lot of obstacles. Firstly, M-1 and Fight Nights once discussed the topic of a joint tournament and came to nothing, and FN won’t let its fighter go just like that. Secondly, clearly distant positions in the ranking and Mineev’s defeat from Maikel Falkan, who, in turn, lost to Shlemenko. Thus, the likelihood that Mineev will take part in the main fight on March 3 at the Olimpiysky is extremely low, so I will not talk about the consequences of the fight. However, increased public interest can miraculously outweigh all existing difficulties.
Candidate #5: Maikel Falcan
Actually, the Brazilian himself, who once “lay over there.” Falkan ingloriously lost to Ramazan Emeev in the M-1 Grand Prix, and then achieved a difficult victory over Vladimir Mineev, which greatly raised his rating in the eyes of Russian promoters. If the Brazilian becomes Storm’s opponent, then the fight will have the status of a rematch, and will definitely not be considered a pass for Shlemenko, since Falkan, although he lowered the bar, is still capable of holding a blow. Alexander’s victory is unlikely to surprise anyone, and the Brazilian’s success will allow him to count on another fight and years of work in our promotions, and probably the opportunity to return to Bellator.
Other candidates
Not only Falkan wants to get even with the Omsk Storm, but also Yasubei Enomoto. The Swiss Samurai himself noted that M-1 has not yet approached him, but in case of a worthy offer, he will be ready by the appointed date. With appropriate agreements, the WFCA champion can also compete against Shlemenko Salamu Abdurakhimov, who won three victories in a row in 2016. The ACB also considers worthy candidates Albert Duraev And Mikhail Kolobegov. The first is preparing for a championship fight against Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, and the second has gained good momentum over the past couple of years and made a successful debut in the organization, knocking out Khuseina Kushagova in the first round.
Recently, it has become fashionable among Russian promotions to invite fighters fired from the first world leagues. Last October, the UFC announced the termination of contracts with five middleweights: Tamdan McCrory(4-5 UFC), Cayo Magalhaes(4-3 UFC), Leonardo Guimaraes(0-2 UFC), Alberto Pereira(0-2 UFC) and Kevin Casey(1-3-1 (2 NC) UFC). Theoretically everything except Kevin Casey, who has a fight scheduled for January 21 against Kita Bury in Bellator, could become rivals of the Russian fighter.
Finally, the two-time MMA world champion may get a chance to fight the legend Gamzat Khiramagomedov. Gamzat has only won three victories as a professional so far, but his level is constantly improving.
One of the most famous Russian MMA fighters will fight American Paul Bradley in Moscow on March 3. On the eve of the fight, the 32-year-old athlete came as a guest to the SE editorial office and told why he doesn’t like football players, why he hates alcohol, how much he spent on legal proceedings and why Grigory Leps should not be shown on New Year’s Eve.
FIGHTING IN RUSSIA IS NOT SO PROFITABLE, BUT IT’S NICE
- You thought about fighting in the American Bellator championship on March 3, but then decided to fight in the M-1 promotion. Why?
There really was such a date. I had options from my rivals, but I also had an offer from M-1. With my manager Alexey Zhernakov we asked
Bellator permission to perform under the auspices M -1 and received consent.I am pleased to perform in Russia when the stadium is full, even if it may not be very beneficial for my career. I would like more guys to look at their fellow countrymen and see their attitude to work.
- Are you planning to finish the fight at the Olimpiysky ahead of schedule?
I always don’t want to bring a fight to a judge’s decision, so that there is no unnecessary talk later. Let’s say in my first fight with Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, where, in my opinion, there were no questions at all, one judge gave it a draw. And this decision raised a lot of questions. It’s good that there was a second fight, and it put everything in its place. I want to win without question.
- In your gym you spar in a cage, but the fight with Bradley will be in the rage (ring with a net near the canvas. - Note "SE"). Is there any difference? And who will have an advantage in this regard?
We have a cage in our hall. In the USA, almost all fights take place in cages; they are more convenient for MMA fights. In the ring or rage there is a risk of falling over the ropes if the opponent is pressing. As far as I know, Bradley did not fight either in the rage or in the ring, and I have a sufficient number of such fights.
- Bradley suffered seven defeats in his career, but only one prematurely - by technical knockout with knees to the body. During training the day before, we practiced a lot of body blows...
I can’t say that punching Paul in the body is the plan for the fight. I’m just a drummer, and he’s more of a fighter. I practiced striking as a way to meet my opponent if he tried to take me to the ground. But this is only one of the options; in general, I always have several plans for a fight. I'm preparing surprises.
IN THE MOVIE I TOOK BY THE CHESTS - AND THAT'S ALL, BUT IT DOESN'T WORK IN BATTLE
- Bradley is afraid that he might be sued in Russia...
In Russia, I didn’t notice too serious judicial errors or any bias, but in the States such moments are not uncommon. I can remember, for example, a tournament in Bellator, when Rafael Carvalho defeated Melvin Manhoef in the fight for the championship title. It’s hard to call this a controversial decision; it’s generally unclear why he won; it seemed to me that Manhoef took all five rounds. The fight was boring, I don’t argue, but Manhoef did more useful things.
- Don’t you think the fight between Fedor and Maldonado is controversial?
I won’t say that they were harshly judged, although the decision is controversial. Honestly, it was a draw - that's my opinion. But whatever one may say, there was no victory for Maldonado.
- Bradley has never fought outside the United States. He said the fight was reminiscent of the movie "Rocky IV," in which Rocky Balboa came to fight Russian Ivan Drago. He's afraid Russian fans will kill him if he beats you. Do you have a desire to give your opponent a nightmare before the fight, say at the weigh-in?
There is no desire to make nightmares. Our people are even too hospitable, they almost carry them in their arms. I have yet to meet a single foreigner who came to Russia and was not surprised. From the films, they get the impression that upon arrival in Russia they will be overcome by horror, but in reality, everything is different. For example, after every Russian tournament there is a banquet for all participants. You won't get this in America.
- For Russian athletes, “exchanging pleasantries” before a fight is not a very common occurrence; it’s a different matter in the West. Did your opponent's words make you angry?
I don’t like it when trash-talk is disrespectful, when they resort to some kind of insults. When I'm angry, I can make mistakes. Emotions give strength, but it can end quickly. This rage cannot be controlled. For example, Vasilevsky drove me crazy - how did the fight end? With my broken face, although I won, I wanted to beat him too much, because of this I missed and made mistakes. With Manhoef I was collected, I wasn’t angry with him - and I didn’t miss a single blow. In the last fight with Grove there was a moment when I freaked out, but I managed to control my emotions. When there is no control, victory is more difficult, because you don’t pay attention to the defense, you just want to take a person and... This is not an option. In the movies you grab them by the breasts and that’s it, but in battle it doesn’t work.
- Did you have problems in the USA?
Americans treat Russians well - with interest and respect. Especially if you are an MMA fighter. One day I was driving a car and talking on the phone while driving. The situation was such that I urgently needed to answer the call, my manager was calling from Russia, and there was no way to slow down on the road. A policeman stopped me and I told him that I was a fighter. He answered me: “Don’t do that again” and let me go.
- You said that you don’t want to leave Russia, but the MMA industry is well developed in the USA. There are many sparring partners there, better training conditions - why aren’t you considering moving?
I'm more interested in developing MMA in Russia. About five years ago, training conditions in the USA were much better than here, but now, thanks to our common efforts, here they are no worse than in the States. Again, I have two children, and I want them to be Russian citizens and live here.
- Only in Russia do famous fighters recruit students and teach them, such as Fedor Emelianenko with his FedorTeam or you with students from the Storm school. Can you imagine, for example, Conor McGregor in this role?
McGregor goes about his life and only thinks about how much money he will make. We have a different mentality, which I am very happy about. For many of our fighters, money is not paramount, and that’s good.
- It’s true that after winning the Bellator Grand Prix, you were allowed to transport several people to the States. Instead of putting your family on the plane, you went there with Koreshkov and Sarnavsky?
Not certainly in that way. After winning the Grand Prix, I have the opportunity to bring not one, but two seconds at the expense of the organization. Naturally, we took advantage of it, because the flight alone costs a lot of money. The seconds were Alexander Sarnavsky and Andrey Koreshkov. I wanted to give the guys the opportunity to earn money. And to other Russian fighters. That's why I needed a fight with Vyacheslav Vasilevsky? In a way, I wanted to give it a chance. My victory over him would not give him anything, but if he had won, we would have immediately changed places, and he would have been able to continue his career in the USA instead of me. I'm sure many in my place would not take such a risk.
"DEMONS" REFLECT THE SITUATION OF THINGS IN SOCIETY
- Where does such nobility come from in relation to Vasilevsky? Especially after your first fight with him and the conflict that arose then?
I have always treated my fellow countrymen well. We Russians are being deliberately deceived and forced to hate each other. I want to change this situation so that the Russian people unite so that we do not lose our national spirit.
- What do you have in mind? Who is deceiving us?
Television, American films and all the propaganda that forms one stable opinion that man is a wolf to man. It is not right. If you live by this principle, everyone will suffer. There are lone wolves in nature. But if suddenly they catch the eye of the pack, they are simply torn apart.
- You recently donated a book to the library. Why did you choose Dostoevsky's "Demons"?
They asked me to give a book for the younger generation - I didn’t just want it for show. I remembered about this book. In general, Dostoevsky, one might say, is a Russian prophet who predicted a lot of things. This book, I believe, can reflect the current state of affairs in society.
- Let's talk about music. Do you listen to more rap?
I choose songs with meaning, they are pleasant to listen to. Before the fight I can turn on Russian folk and Slavic songs.
- At the beginning of the year, we took part in a discussion that it was time for television New Year’s shows to change their repertoire...
When I grew up, my parents looked at me - and even now there are the same faces. But this year I didn’t like that they started with a song by Grigory Leps. I have a normal attitude towards it, but you can’t play this song on the federal channel. These “everyone says you can’t drink, but I will” - this is a specific call for drinking! What will we get from this then?
- You still go into battle to the music of Within Temptation "Angel".
At one time I liked the cut of fight highlights set to this music and off we go... It’s important for me that the music awakens some feelings inside. And so it continues with my composition - some memories come to me, perhaps that’s why I still choose it. To be honest, it’s scary to install another one. What if it doesn't work...
-Are you superstitious? Or religious?
I try not to give in, so that there are fewer superstitions. But still some emerge, traditions remain - like with music, for example. Moderately religious. When a person gets too involved in something, that person is too easy to manipulate.
WHEN THERE ARE END OF ANIMALS, WILL WE EAT EACH OTHER?
- You often talk about the dangers of smoking and alcohol. Where does this come from?
Our country is dying out only because of this; we cannot overcome the population decline. We are fighting against speeding on the roads, but it in itself is not so scary if you are of a sober mind. Before my eyes, they buried small children who were hit by a drunk driver... I’m trying to speak, I recently approached three guys and forced them to put out their cigarettes. It's not normal when in a park where children are walking, an adult has the audacity to go and smoke! And when you make a remark, he is also dissatisfied! Thank God that we passed a law banning smoking in public places.
- Didn’t it come to fights?
No. Some people recognize me on the street, others don’t - it’s important to me that there are no such violations. You know, I had a bad situation as a child... I was about seven years old, I took a Ural bicycle from a friend - I couldn’t reach the saddle, I was riding under the frame. Some kind of drunk, dare I say it, animal was walking towards me. And it hit me with its fist in the face. Just. I fell, ran away from him... I was scared, this is an adult. Of course, if such an animal now runs into me, a professional fighter, now - let him try to hit me. But our children suffer because of such drunks, this is not normal. And there can be nothing except radical measures.
- No alcohol law?
Yes. And we have precedents - Chechnya, Ingushetia. I think there you will never encounter such a situation.
- If we remove alcohol from stores, will the problem be solved?
Let's put it this way: we still have a problem with drugs, but we are fighting them. You can’t buy them in a store, and there are far fewer drug addicts than alcoholics. Let's ban the sale of alcohol - there will be no widespread drunkenness. It’s not difficult to put things in order, if you have the desire.
- You were a vegetarian at one time, but this did not have a very good effect on your career. When you're done with sports, could you give up meat?
Yes. But not a fact. They say that this is good for the body, but it will not be able to bear heavy loads. We need to finish it first, then we'll see. Vegetarianism is probably right. Animals are killed, and this is not very right. There are more and more people, fewer animals, when there are no more of them left - will we eat our friend?
THE FIRST FEE WAS THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS
- Do you remember the moment when you decided to take up mixed martial arts? Did you need to earn money somehow?
And that too. I loved fights very much, I watched them on cassettes since 1995. I heard somewhere that people get money for this, but at competitions we were only given medals and certificates, rarely any prizes. When you are 18, you have to train to perform at the level. Where to get money and how to exist if you don’t work? Professional fights provide such an opportunity. And so in 2004 I told my coach - maybe I’ll try?
- Allowed?
Yes, it was probably fate - within a week a fighter from the “four” refused, it was necessary to find someone. And then I just arrived. I won the first fight in 40 seconds, entered the second and also won. Before that, I had to fight seven fights a day. And then in eight minutes I received a total of three hundred dollars.
- Your first fee?
Yes. I was a full-time student with an increased stipend of 600 rubles. At that time, 300 dollars was nine thousand. The difference is colossal! After I won that tournament, all the newspapers in my city wrote about me. And then I realized what professional sports is, that fate gave me an opportunity.
- Were there no options other than sports?
I didn’t think much about it, only if I train. Many athletes went to work as “bouncers” in nightclubs. Well, how else? But this didn’t suit me - if you live in this mode, you definitely won’t be able to train.
- What did you spend your first fee on?
I wanted to buy a car, so I saved up for it. Then he won two more eights tournaments, where the fee was higher - already a thousand dollars for three fights. And so it went... I bought myself a VAZ 2108, a G8 - that was enough money. Was happy.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE, IT WOULD BE BETTER TO INVEST MONEY IN MMA
- What do you think is necessary for MMA to develop even more rapidly in Russia?
It is necessary to provide more support so that state corporations invest in MMA, and not in football.
- Do you watch football yourself?
Not now. I don't like the way many football players behave. The attitude towards the fans is especially annoying. And they really can’t win anything; they suffer defeats from those who shouldn’t lose at all. Right in front of me now, on the wall, is a photograph of Andrei Arshavin. The man became famous for his conversation with fans after the Russian national team game. I believe that if you mostly receive money from the budget, you should not say such things. I used to play football myself and watch it. He even won the championship among yard teams in Omsk. My favorite player was Andrey Shevchenko.
- Under what conditions did you first train in Omsk?
Vladimir Zborovsky opened a hall in the late 60s. We have a Saturn plant and there was a dormitory from the plant. Between the two buildings of the building there was a dining room; all the walls were demolished and converted into a gym. That's where we trained. Then we moved to the Storm school, the project of which I developed. This school was opened with the help of social investments from Gazprom Neft - "Native Towns", as well as with the support of the government of the Omsk region. This room is ideally equipped for us.
- How many people study at your school?
A total of about 500 people. This is a lot, let’s say a children’s group of 60 people trains on an area of 200 square meters. m. We are trying to expand, we already have a branch in Omsk, plus on March 11 we are planning to open the Storm school in Novosibirsk. We also constantly train trainers. I think that MMA is now experiencing incredible growth in popularity, more than other sports. The level of Russian competitions is also growing. Previously, when I just started performing in M-1, we fought in a casino. These tournaments were on a completely different level; no one even talked about broadcasts on federal channels and packed stadiums. Now this is reality.
SPENT 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS ON COURTS
- How many fights does your Bellator contract last?
For now, I can not say it. I had a difficult relationship due to doping claims against me and litigation regarding this matter. I lost almost two years.
- How much money did you spend on litigation?
About 100 thousand dollars. I was asked to admit that I knowingly took doping, and in return they promised to shorten the period of disqualification. I couldn’t admit this because I was brought up differently. Money is not the most important thing in life, but honor. If we think about this, our lives will change for the better. Unfortunately, for many people money comes to the fore, but people have forgotten that these are just pieces of paper and they cannot be the goal of life.
- How many fights do you want to have this year?
As much as possible. I'm used to fighting often, I like to go into the cage. It’s comfortable for me to perform once every two months. And this is real, because at the beginning of my career I fought three fights per evening, and I, in principle, can compete in this format.
- Do you have an idea at what age you would like to stop performing?
I came to mixed martial arts at the age of 14. Before that, my father and I skied, and I liked it more than fighting. Now I feel good, I think I can perform. For me, an example is Dan Henderson. But you don’t have to go far - we have Marat Balaev, he is forty years old, he won the ACB title. Many people ask for advice: they say, I’m 25 or 30, isn’t it too late to start? Everyone chooses for themselves, there is some kind of switch in their head. If I competed at 50-60 years old with young fighters and defeated them, believe me, I would be happier than just sitting in retirement and remembering how I fought in my youth.
Will meet with Paul Bradley on Friday, March 3, as part of the M-1 Challenge 75 tournament at the Moscow Olympic sports complex. For the former Bellator middleweight champion, this will be the 64th fight in a 13-year professional career (54 wins, 30 by knockout). The tournament starts at 19.00 Moscow time, and the main program starts at 21.30.
"SE" invites its readers to follow the main event of the evening using our broadcast. We have no doubt it will be interesting. We will tell you in detail about the fight and analyze its best moments. Immediately after the fight, you will find a media report, comments from the opponents, as well as a professional analysis of the fight from experts.
is a former Bellator middleweight champion who held the title from February 2013 to September 2014. The Russian athlete plans to regain his title this year, but has decided to compete before his next fight in Bellator in the Russian promotion M-1 in Moscow.
The last time Shlemenko competed under the auspices of the Russian organization was last year, where in June he won the Grand Prix final early by choke, after which he knocked out Kendall Grove in the Bellator 162 event in the United States, which paved the way for him to return to the top of the American organization.
Shlemenko explained his decision to perform first in Russia with the opportunity to perform in front of Russian fans in the stands.
“I decided to fight in M-1 Global, firstly, because M-1 is the oldest Russian organization, at the beginning of my career I watched all the fights under the auspices of this promotion.
And of course, it is very important and very pleasant for me to perform live for the Russian public, to delight Russian fans with my fights.
My manager took the necessary steps to resolve all issues with Bellator and to obtain permission from them for my fight in M-1. Of course, there are always difficulties, and a lot of work was done, because they wanted to see me there, but in the end they managed to get permission,” the fighter told mixfight.ru.
Shlemenko’s fight will be the central event of the mixed martial arts evening at the Olimpiysky.
In recent years, the Russian has not performed so often in his homeland, so any appearance of Shlemenko in Russia arouses increased interest among fans. Initially, M-1 champion compatriot Ramazan Emeev was predicted to be his opponent, but the latter was injured at the end of last year.
After the news of Emeev’s injury, the organizers wanted to hold a rematch between Alexander Shlemenko and the ex-Bellator champion, who took the title from the Russian in 2014. Alas, the American athlete said that he would not fit into the middle weight category with a large excess of several kilograms. M-1 Global began looking for a replacement for Halsey, and back in January Alexander did not know the name of his future opponent, but the very fact of Shlemenko’s fight on March 3 in Moscow was not in doubt. In the middle of winter, the athlete published a video message to his fans.
At the end of January, Shlemenko's opponent was finally announced.
It was 33-year-old American Bradley, a veteran of UFC and Bellator tournaments, as well as a Ring of Combat champion.
The athlete has been performing in mixed martial arts since 2006. He managed to appear in all the leading American promotions - UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and WSOF. His most successful career was in Bellator, where he scored several high-profile victories, including a knockout of Chris Hanekat 40 seconds into the fight. This was the only defeat of the MMA star.
Shlemenko speaks very respectfully of his opponent.
“An interesting fight awaits us. Bradley is a high-level fighter.
Look at his record - he has always fought tough opponents. Yes, he has a few losses, but in almost all of those fights he went the distance and wasn't finished in them. He has a good base of American freestyle wrestling. He's a big and strong guy. I think Bradley is in a better position in this fight. I have no right to lose. I'm higher up the rankings and I'll be fighting in front of my countrymen and that means a lot to me. So there will be more pressure on me than on him. Nevertheless, this is a great fight, a very good fight for Russian MMA.
We must attract more fighters of this level if we want to develop this sport.
This fight could easily become, for example, the main fight of the Bellator tournament. And now this fight will take place in Russia. I’m happy to be part of this,” mixfight.ru quotes the Russian.
In total, Bradley won 23 victories, including 15 ahead of schedule, and suffered seven defeats. It is important to note that the American lost ahead of schedule only once to Luke Rockhold six years ago. Shlemenko has 54 victories, including 36 early and nine defeats. However, unlike the American, the Russian fighter lost five times ahead of schedule.
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