“Fedor would have received the same amount for any opponent.” Moldova crushes Emelianenko’s criticism

Fedor Emelianenko lost ryan bader TKO in the middle of the first round. The 46-year-old Russian announced his retirement straight from the cage after the fight. We spoke with Fedor’s boxing trainer Alexander Michkov and training partner Valentin Moldavski.

Michkov: “Fyodor was in a dismantled state”

– You said you remember Fedor, who came to you in the early 2000s and asked to teach you how to box. How well do you remember this moment? Do you remember anything else than that?

For some reason I remember, yes. I still vividly remember how he and Sasha fought in the ninth school section. There was such a sparring! There’s also a 4×4 meter ring, which isn’t much for the heavyweights, so they cut very well.

– Fedor has a cut on the bridge of his nose today, as far as I know, is it just from a fight with Alexander?

– I’m not sure it was exactly that today, but Sasha really cut the bridge of her nose. There was a close combat situation and Alexander struck with his hand. There were summer camps at Raduga camp, a week before departure. Over 10 years ago.

– Was it difficult for you to watch today’s fight?

– Everyone who trained with him hoped for success. But, it is clear that when a person charges for a hit, they don’t hit it. Everything was built for a ride, because Fedor was in a dismantled state, a herniated disc did not allow him to prepare, plus trips for a visa.

Moldavsky: ‘I asked Fedor how he felt’

– Kirill Sidelnikov quite accurately described the emotions, saying that there is even a kind of bright feeling of the feeling that you just saw what Fedor Emelianenko’s career was like in general. And you were his witness. Don’t you feel the same?

– It’s a bit sad that everything happened like that, but the career is cool all the same. The last fight is for the title! No matter how it turned out, it’s cool that he fought for the title at 46.

– When did you realize that the combat situation was bad?

— When Bader translated afterwards. It became clear that something was wrong.

– Why didn’t Fedor get up?

Bader raised his hand. [за спиной] and it was difficult, because Fedor completely abandoned him. It would be possible to stand up if you release your hand, push your knee into your chest. Look at my fight, I was able to get up there.

– Fedor hit a straight in the 10th second, slightly missed. Did he feel like he was needlessly charging for this move?

– Sure, he overcharged for that shot, but early on it was clear that as long as there was a starting blast, there was also a good chance of landing that shot. So it’s hard. Then Fedya got heavily invested, missed, he turned around and he hit him behind the ear.

– When they arrive behind the ear or in the temple, do you immediately lose coordination?

– Yes. And it happened.

– Did you pay attention to anything else in this battle?

– Bader came out heavier for this fight. And besides, he was not very fast.

– Fedor had a lower position than usual, was it to defend himself from passes?

– Well yes. He seems to have blocked the first pass, and, in principle, did not miss the passes. But that’s what we’re working on.

– Could you and Vadim give him the groundwork that was needed against Bader, a fighter against the American school?

Well, we did pretty much the same thing. Bader is nothing unique. Look at our fight with him, I certainly didn’t lose to him in the fight.

Did you stop early?

– Of course, but apparently Herb Dean did it because he saw that nothing changed. He hit on the arm, not on the head, clapped his hand, nothing flew over the head.

– Did you communicate with Fedor after the fight?

– I asked Fedor how he felt, he said it was normal. Said everything was fine.

– Fedor’s only quote about his health for a long time: “I went to the operation, they cleaned my knee.”

He’s had so many surgeries. It’s just that they won’t tell you about it, because people will start to think of it as an excuse, but other than the knee, there was still more to hell.

Michkov: “He went to Moscow in his car”

– He has this intervertebral hernia – she’s already 20 years old, probably. We were in a training camp in Kislovodsk, where his back got stuck for the first time. We arrived home, underwent an examination, showed that there was not even a protrusion, but a hernia. Now, when he was getting ready, he was barely fighting. There were detentions, but almost without resistance.

When was the last time you tried to talk him out of a fight?

– For a long time. Because I can’t think of a fight he’s gone to without injury. Either the finger is broken on the leg, then the crack, then the back, then the very case where it was cut. Constantly. Now there were problems with the visa.

– Your airport is not working in the city, how did it get to Yerevan?

– He was driving his car. 8-9 hours from Oskol to Moscow then by plane.

– That is, during the preparation he twice traveled by car from Oskol to Moscow.

– Yes. Therefore, he did not return there a second time, he came from Yerevan by plane, and it was pointless to get behind the wheel and return to Oskol. In addition, the back hurts.

Moldovan: “I’ll tell those stupid donkeys…”

– Notice, I didn’t say in any interview what form he was in, because I was hoping he would hit. But there has been no normal preparation for the past two weeks. It was unclear whether he would fly into battle or not. He flew to Bahrain, they didn’t give him a visa, he had to fly to Yerevan.

At first, we didn’t work normally for a week, he was slightly injured. Then he flew to Yerevan and did not return, because there was no point in returning one day. He received a visa directly at the airport.

– Let’s explain – it’s a bit more difficult to train 100% if you are not sure whether to fly in combat or not?

“Yes, it’s true, you don’t know whether you’re going to fight or not. If you prepare in vain, your health is also not infinite.

– Fedor said in a press conference that Ryan Bader is tough on you, like he’s blessing you for revenge. Was it good to hear?

“I was already asleep at that time. But he already told me this, and I understood this, that if you are normally ready, without illness, to go out, then you will be fine. But now the main thing is to overtake Vassell, who is perhaps better than Bader.

Are you sure you have a Candidate Battle?

– Yes, I was told. I’m number one in the standings, Vassell is number two. There are no other options.

– Fedor will participate in your training?

– I think he will come, stay in Moscow with his family for a while. Then we will decide.

– Do you think Fedor will train just for himself?

I think it will be fine, he liked it.

– How do you read the remarks in the spirit of “Fyodor went out for a check”.

“I’m going to give those stupid donkeys… he would have been paid the same amount for any opponent.” For everyone. He could take a person who just entered the battles there and that’s it, he has a fixed amount. He wasn’t overpaid for Bader.

– There is another theory that it would be easier to do business. Does the word “easier” bother you in such conversations?

– The stand has opened, and it immediately brings you money. I can tell you like a parable: I have a friend who has been in business all his life. But I’ve never been in the restaurant business. And he decided to open a restaurant with some of the money. I opened it and nothing happened. Because that too needs to be addressed and deepened. And he admitted that he had created it in common business, and this business was at a loss to him.

– In my opinion, it is usually quite obvious – to fight if you have a good contract.

– Yes. If we all had worse contracts, we would be fighting elsewhere. But we have good contracts, we fight in Bellator.

Did you explain why he chose to fight Bader?

– And I didn’t ask him, because for any ambitious athlete, it’s obvious. If there is such an opportunity, why not take advantage of it.

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