“We fought Islam Makhachev in Russia in the final…” Dagestan grappler chokes UFC champions, doesn’t go to MMA because of a promise to his father

One of Abdulkadirov’s first social media videos is a fight with UFC champion Benson Henderson in 2015. At the time, Henderson was one of the best lightweights in the UFC, having just lost his belt (August 2013) and defeating Rustam Khabilov (June 2014). Abdulkadirov strangled him at the World Championships in Brazil, and in the next round, due to a very controversial refereeing decision, he retired after a fight with Gilbert Burns, future crash test of Khamzat Chimaev.

Abdulkadirov is 33 years old and competes in a popular non-Olympic discipline in which you can do almost anything in wrestling, but you can’t throw punches. It’s called grappling, and everyone who follows MMA knows it, and almost no one knows it among people outside of martial arts. Grapplers have a strong ground game, a large arsenal of painful and suffocating techniques, and usually MMA fighters train to grapple either with them or under their direction. On November 4, at the popular ONE promotion in Asia, Magomed will face Tai Ruotolo. There will be ten minutes during which you will have to attempt to apply a painful or suffocating hold. If that doesn’t work, the judge will determine the winner based on the most attempts. Weight – 84 kg.

— In MMA we are used to people being divided into fighters and strikers. How are they divided where there is only struggle?

— In grappling, you look to see if your opponent is working from above, pressing the ground and pounding. Or is it more comfortable for him to attack from below – this is usually done by more viscous plastic grappling hooks, most often by Brazilian jiu-jitsu people. Some people are actually good at attending functions from the booth. My opponent is versatile – the world champion of black belts (in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, consider the same grappling, only in a kimono), he works equally well from above and from below.

— How many top athletes are there today who immediately took up this sport and have not left judo, sambo or freestyle wrestling?

– Well, now I see that children from five years old are sent to grappling or jiu-jitsu. In our room, about a hundred children study in one team. In Makhachkala, children’s tournaments are held every week. Previously, many left other sports, not everyone knew about this sport, until you show a video, a person does not understand.

— Let’s imagine we were walking around Makhachkala in 2005 and asked: “Where is the nearest grappling section?” How many people out of a hundred would understand what it is?

—Honestly, I think only a few would understand. Because before, when we said we were grappling, people would smile and ask, “What? Rowing?” In all seriousness, I had to explain that it wasn’t rowing. And everyone was like, ‘We haven’t heard of it, we don’t know anything about it.’

— When a freestyle wrestling person comes to training, what mistakes does he most often make?

— First of all, it’s an open neck, we often give it when they go to the legs, because in freestyle wrestling we don’t have to defend ourselves from chokes. Also, positional wrestling is different – some people have difficulty adjusting at the very beginning. And in terms of functional and physical fitness, they are very strong and resilient.

— In freestyle wrestling, there is a lot of controversy over the definition of passivity. Perhaps you have a dispute over what constitutes an admission attempt? For example, in MMA, Dustin Poirier guillotined Khabib. From the outside it looked like it was very close to a successful landing, but then Khabib said he was breathing comfortably and waiting for Poirier to tire out.

– As a rule, the judge sees it. Khabib and Poirier had just the slightest threat. Anyone who understands wrestling sees that Poirier did not tuck his legs in and, I think, if we talk according to the rules of grappling, it was possible to give or not give activity.

— Three coolest MMA moves you remember recently?

— First of all, this is the technique of Zabit Magomedsharipov, when he removed his leg from his back (fight with Brandon Davis, September 2018. — Rating “”). A very spectacular and exotic reception. Islam Makhachev choked Charles Oliveira beautifully, I didn’t expect Oliveira to give up so quickly. Roman Dolidze – we know him – has very good grappling, he can switch from one technique to another in fights, he does good leg locks.

—Is there a name now that motivates you as a rival?

– But just the Ruotolo brothers, I wanted to fight with them, but I don’t know who else to name (Tai and Kade Ruotolo, twin brothers, have been practicing jiu-jitsu since they were three years old. – Rating: ). It would be interesting with Miko Galvao – the youngest world champion among black belts. We fought with him. I fought with Craig Jones. If I win the belt now, I’ll wait for the guys who want to fight me.

— How much can a top grappler pay for a fight?

– From five thousand dollars and up. In ONE, they are not divided by sports: there is MMA, kickboxing and grappling. Two equal amounts: for the exit and for the victory, as in MMA. And there is a bonus for the most spectacular reception – 50 thousand dollars.

— Did I understand correctly that top athletes in your sport have the main source of income from seminars and personal training?

— Basically, yes, all fighters and grapplers first win titles, then give seminars and master classes, thereby earning money.

I signed a contract with a gym in Moscow and fly every two weeks to conduct master classes and wrestling days. I have a contract with this club. I arrive in Moscow on Friday and fly out on Sunday. I have had this schedule for several years now.

— Do you organize personal training?

– Yes, many come.

— Islam Makhachev says he hasn’t been caught in training since 2016 and in the United States he has fought many pure grapplers. It always seems to me that a specialist with a narrow view will always be stronger and that Islam does not fight elite opponents. Classically, the footballer will always lose to the runner in the race. Can you guess how your fight against Islam would have turned out?

— Islam is very good at wrestling, I know it and I see it. We met in 2014 and met in the final in the North Caucasus Federal District. I lost to him on points. And then we fought in the final in Russia, and I won by choke. I think his fighting is at such a level that it will be included in the black belt awards of the world. He fights very well. I think he would be in the top three.

– Can you imagine him losing in one fell swoop?

– Yes, anyone can be accepted, no matter who you are. Because grappling is like chess: he who manages to impose his game, he succeeds. There is no person for whom it is impossible to get an appointment.

— What is the level of Dillon Danis, a fighter on Conor’s team?

“I would say it was a good jiu-jitzer. But it was. He became world brown belt champion. When he trained, he was always in threes. There was an ADCC tournament in 2015, we fought in the same weight of 77 kg, and after the first fight he was eliminated.

— You fought with UFC champion Ben Henderson in 2015. What do you remember?

— When I arrived in Brazil, I immediately said I wanted to fight with him. I knew he was a black belt, that he was a UFC champion and there was a desire to test myself with him. I was sure I would win. He immediately started working as number one, did not let him come to his senses, got up and knocked him down. As a result, he went behind her back and managed to strangle her. He came back after the fight, took a photo and was surprised that it happened.

“I was told how a prison guard who practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu disabled a prisoner with the lapels of his jacket during a riot. Have you already used the techniques in practice?

– No. I have always been able to solve problems by talking. I’ll tell you honestly, that wasn’t the case.

— Are you called to MMA?

— I had a fight in 2011 and I won it with an elbow lever. In Dubai against an American. And then my late father forbade me from participating in MMA competitions, he said: “You don’t need that, do grappling, jiu-jitsu, head shots, fighting – you can not.” He also said: “I know you are being offered fights, but I don’t care where it happens, in America, in China, I will fly there and do damage”, that’s what he said. If my father hadn’t forbid me, I might have fought somewhere by now. Maybe even in the UFC.

Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.