An MMA fighter can make $200,000 in one shot. New superboy in Russia

This spring, the Russian ACA league launched a grand prix tournament with eight lightweights (up to 70.3kg) and a $1 million prize pool.

Already on the way to the start, the organizers had to solve problems with logic. ASA has a very strong light background, but, for example, Yusuf Raisov and Abdulaziz Abdulvakhabov wouldn’t fight because they’re both Chechens. Alexander Sarnavsky would refuse to fight Artem Reznikov (if he went to him in the tournament bracket). They are close friends. Rashid Magomedov was considered one of the most respected fighters, and respect for him kept Yusuf Raisov and Ali Bagov from accepting the fight with Rashid. As a result, Bagov nevertheless accepted the fight, but together with Magomedov fought so passively that the league founder entered the cage and stopped the fight, dropping winged words from the same cage: “Why are you keeping us here, for the boys?!”

As a result, Eduard Vartanyan reached the Grand Prix Final on one side of the grid. On the other hand, on December 23, Artyom Reznikov and Andrey Koshkin fought for the exit. Whoever will win the final will take about 200 thousand dollars (the organizers do not say the exact amount), and therefore the runner-up Vartanyan watched near the cage who will become his future rival.

Andrey Koshkin (it’s quite normal that you don’t know this) is a very tough clinch from Novokuznetsk. Artyom Reznikov performed well in freestyle wrestling tournaments and was imprisoned in Kazakhstan. Reznikov wasn’t well known until 2019, and in 2016-17 he usually had a five-game losing streak, but then he discovered incredible wrestling abilities, and now no one can stop him for 10 fights. Reznikov’s signature move is the North-South choke. The technique gained popularity across Russia when Jeff Monson, among other rivals, strangled Alexander Emelianenko with it. And now Reznikov began to threaten them from the first round, Koshkin – to fight back, and Vartanyan – to carefully monitor what was happening.

Eight minutes into the fight, Vartanyan’s trainer, Armen Ghulyan, will say:

– Koshkin left correctly for the first time, because Artyom constantly rolls over the opponent. And then Koshkin let him feel that [Резников] he breaks his neck sideways and envelops it with his body, and Artyom has just finished his work. At first, Andrei did everything right, but then he gave Artyom the chance to hold on.

Reznikov does this hold well, but I’ve also won fights with this technique, and I understand how he does.

Does Jeff Monson do it differently?

– It’s a question of exit sensations. Artyom, he’s just waiting. He comes to the reception, tightly squeezes his body, tucks his hand tightly and waits for the opponent’s error. And slowly withdraws. And Jeff Monson immediately had a kind of position of power entering this technique. But Artyom is doing very well.

In general, if you do not understand, Reznikov strangled Koshkin and reached the final. The same “North-South” technique is the strangulation of the opponent with the hands, when the fighters position their head, the attacker lies on his stomach and with his shoulder and body affects the defender’s neck. The position of the bodies resembles the position of the needles of the compass. Hence the name.

At a press conference, Reznikov’s reception did not personally impress league founder Mairbek Khasiev. At first, Khasiev said that he would definitely not give a bonus for this win: “I didn’t show anything new. It’s experience, we don’t give bonuses for experience. Reznikov carefully countered that he was the first to beat Koshkin earlier than expected in the league.

Then Khasiev said he doesn’t understand how fighters allow themselves to be strangled with this technique, if they know that Artem always comes out at him. “I also understand something in jiu-jitsu. There is a basic defense against this technique,” ​​Khasiev said.

Reznikov politely clarified that he strangles very strong jiu-jitzers with this technique.

On the other hand, Reznikov had a lot of competition in the fight for a bonus of 50 thousand dollars to the author of the best performance of the evening. Beslan Ushukov, who scored a knockout with a roundhouse kick, and Nikola Dipichkov, who knocked out Azamat Amagov, and 16-year-old Eli Kadyrov, who beat Islam Akbarov in the first round, could get it. Eli’s father rules the same republic in which the ASA league is based.

Eduard Vartanyan watched Reznikov’s fight with a smile, spoke with a smile to his future opponent at a press conference and happily explained why he was not afraid of the North-South:

Why doesn’t Artyom make this move against you?

“Because I will do anything to keep him from coming out.” I have enough people in the camp who have mastered this technique well. When our first fight was announced, I was preparing for the North-South. Here, for example, stands Armen Ghulyan, he has won enough fights with this technique, this is his crown.

– How to defeat Artem Reznikov if he does not lose in 10 fights in a row?

— Good plan and pressure. Let me ask you what Artem will do if he can’t go “North-South” and can’t control me in the field. Let’s take a look.

– You have a scar on your neck and you wrote on social media that you had surgery.

— This is a neurosurgical operation to remove the intervertebral hernia. I had my intervertebral discs completely removed. They put cages, titanium plates. It was in November, to train fully, I will most likely be able to in April. When exactly I can fight, the doctor has to say. In general, such operations give one year of disability. In order for viewers waiting for my finale not to be disappointed, I would like to force and recover in a short time. Fight in May or June. I hope.

– Artem said he will spend the money he earned on an apartment for his parents to transport them to Alma-Ata. What are you going to spend money on?

– Yes, a lot of goals, I have three children. When it comes to money, I have more options where to invest it. It’s a kind of financial pillow, it’s an investment. What can we leave to our children? The ability to make decisions, a kind of financial independence and education.