Former Bellator Champion Vitaly Minakov returned to active training and last week had the first sparring in the last 12 months.
Vitaly Minakov, a 38-year-old heavyweight, did not compete for a year and a half after losing at the Bellator 269 tournament in Moscow. Then Minakov lost by technical knockout to Said Souma due to a finger injury. In a conversation with reporters, the Russian said that he received several offers from MMA organizations in Russia and resumed training to return to MMA.
You haven’t fought in two years. When will this end?
– The problem of the visa remains, and I think that I will not be able to obtain it in the near future, for obvious reasons. I’ve been relying on Bellator European tournaments lately. But for some reason they don’t put me in either, although the tournaments are happening. So I definitely won’t be at Bellator in the near future.
I want to talk – in Russia I have four proposals, we will decide in the near future.
When was the last time you fought?
– Last week with my brother (Dmitry Minakov, former contender for the Fight Nights belt. – “”). I just started to get in shape, training on the mat, and before that I only endured more, I was engaged in general physical training. I did crossfit complexes, worked out with iron. But since last week he has started to come out on the mat. I wrestled in freestyle, I spent sparring, there was a very long break before that, more than a year, I think. Everything happens quickly. At this point, two months will be enough for me to prepare, but I still haven’t sat on the stove, but I’ve been studying all this time.
The OFP stage went very well for me, now if we agree on one of the proposals, special work will begin, ”said Minakov, whose words are reported by the correspondent of .
One of the most likely options for Minakov’s return is promotion URAL FC, which will host the next event on June 23 in Kazakhstan.
“Match! Fighter” will show the UFC 289 tournament on the night of June 11 (at 01:55 Moscow time). In addition, live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on the channel, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
