Mixed martial arts fighter Vitaly Minakov told RT that the UFC is in control with the promotion of fighters from Russia, they need a little more time to achieve high goals than representatives from other countries.
– There is no feeling that the UFC, due to the political situation, does not want to give a lot of belts to Russian athletes?
“They are definitely in control. If we let all our guys fight, then history will repeat itself with the Brazilians, who at some point came along and started taking the belts away. Thus, Russians can become champions in many divisions. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan have already taken the belt into their own hands, Islam Makhachev is the current hegemon, and Ankalaev was not allowed to become one. Pavlovich is also close.
– It turns out that now you have to be a stronger head not to suffer from the dubious decisions of the referee, like Petr Yan?
– You just need to do your job and not think about UFC verdicts like Khabib did in his day. After all, he also did not receive a title for a long time. Anyone else would have already broken several times, spat and tied up. And he endured. And each of our guys will be waiting backstage. Athletes must stick to their dreams. It’s just possible that it will take a bit longer to reach the goal. But there will come a time when the UFC just can’t help but put on a title shot. You can’t take victory away from a strong fighter, you can only complicate the path to it.
And to win in the fights for the belt, you need a clear advantage. Do not rely on the sporting principle, it will not exist anywhere in the world due to the political situation. You can’t take a knockout victory, but a close encounter will be given to an opponent. I have already experienced this myself. When the opportunity arises to tighten the glasses, they use it. Alas, they have always said that sport is outside politics, but it turned out the opposite: it is at its very center.
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TR
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.
