Russia’s first UFC champion Oleg Taktarov who became a second Alexandra Volkova in a fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, shared his impressions of working in the corner at the UFC tournament.
For Taktarov, it was the first entry into the octagon after the end of his fighting career.
– It seemed to me that I was already completely 100% exhausted when Rinat (Fakhretdinov, a fighter whose team agreed that Oleg Taktarov would work as a second. – ) won the fight and passed all the interviews. I thought I couldn’t stand up anymore, then I had to go through all the warm-up and imitation of the fight with Volkov. And imagine Sasha’s level now, both physically and mentally. But with Sasha it was not so emotional anymore. I usually thought they would have five rounds, but he finished in one round. It’s cool, sure, but I remember worrying less when I’m performing.
– You said on air after the fight that the UFC is a spaceship in terms of level.
– Yes, it’s the year 3000, you can make movies about how everything works on other planets: all kinds of gadgets for all occasions, a few drinks after the weigh-in, the organization itself, nobody don’t raise your voice, everyone speaks very tactfully, they explain everything. Everything is worked down to the smallest detail.
– Actually, you and Volkov walked the road from the hotel gates to the cage gates. Do you like his professional approach to what happens before the fight?
– He’s super professional. I’ve always seen that. He is head and shoulders above all else in his category: both on the ground and in a standing position. He’s a bit better standing, but he’s very good on the ground, he’s not inferior to anyone at that weight. Everything is wonderful with him, there is a little personal thing, more emotional, which is better not to talk about, but we can work with it. You see, he went to battle cheerful, cheerful, light, joking, so immediately the speed remained. And he did better than expected. Finished in the first round and that’s it. Volkov simply downgraded. Today you saw a person who used 60% of their abilities, and before that they could use 20% in general.
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Volkov won by technical knockout in the first round. At the moment, the Russian’s stats in the UFC are 9-4. Overall record in professional MMA: 35-10.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
