russian fighter Alexander Shlemenko in an interview with , he explained why he was prepared to refuse to perform in American promotions.
In the latest fight, 39-year-old Russian fighter, former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko defeated 45-year-old Brazilian Charles Oliveira by chokehold at the SFC 8 tournament, held on July 21 in Omsk. From 2010 to 2018, Shlemenko played in the Bellator League, where he became the middleweight champion after defeating Maykel Falcao.
– Will you be upset if you no longer play in the United States or in an American promotion?
– No. I won’t have fights in the UFC. The UFC concept today is to work for young prospects. Most often, they achieve this thanks to the Dana White Contender series. I spent a large part of my life in the United States, but now I need to develop mine, to go in another direction. I don’t mind fighting there. In America I made a name for myself and a career, you can even say that thanks to America I made a name for myself here in Russia, but I always loved my country. I understand why [выступления в США] that young fighters need. And for me – if it was kind of a big fight, yeah, but I’m really looking at it.
What is the big fight for me? For example, yesterday you talked about the PFL Grand Prix, where the prize is one million dollars. If this happens suddenly, I will fight. If not, I won’t be upset at all. I feel good in my country and my promotion. I’m interested in developing myself as a fighter now, and since I don’t just think about myself, but attract a lot of people behind me, I like to develop my promotion.
It seems to me that yesterday (the conversation was recorded after the Shlemenko tournament in Omsk on July 21. – About “”) was the best tournament in Russia in recent times – I haven’t seen so many people gathering in other places. And I like the friendly atmosphere of our tournaments. We don’t have weird people running, jumping through the cages. We have a lot of people who come to talk to each other, to see each other. I am happy to be involved in this, – said Shlemenko “”.
Shlemenko held his last fight in the United States in October 2018, losing to Anatoly Tokov by judges’ decision.
Live broadcasts of the Mixed Martial Arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
