Chavkat Rakhmonov so far he has an almost unique feat: 17 of his 17 fights have been won earlier than expected, and in ideal proportions, 8 by knockout, 9 by technicals. He fights with karateka Stephen Thompson, 40 years old.
Muslim Salikhov – 39 years old, among the Russians in the UFC, only Shamil Abdurakhimov is older than him. Salikhov has royal achievements in wushu sanda and 19-4 in mixed martial arts. Salikhov’s opponent dropped out of the tournament four days before the fight.
Tagir Ulanbekov represents Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s school and competes in the UFC minimum possible weight with a record of 14-2 (3-1 in UFC).
In the main fight for the UFC champion belt in the category under 77 kg, Leon Edwards and Colby Covington will meet.
Golovkin will beat Logan and Jake Paul…
…that’s what Shavkat Rakhmonov thinks. Gennady Golovkin fought 45 fights in the ring, won 42 of them and was considered one of the toughest boxers of the 2010s. Here is the quote:
— In my childhood, the most popular athlete in Kazakhstan was Golovkin. Who is it now?
– Gena is Gena, he still remains the most popular. When I finish my career, I’ll probably be there.
– Gennady is a modest guy, and he won’t answer this question, but how would a fight between Logan Paul or Jake Paul and Golovkin go?
– Yes, Gena is on another level. It’s just that he’s ending his career now, it seems like he has one fight left. Of course Gena will win. He’s been in this business for a long time, he’s been boxing at a high level for a long time.
The best UFC fighter will be a runner-up
Islam Makhachev, with No. 1 status in the pound-for-pound rankings, will come to the tournament to assist Tagir Ulanbekov.
“Islam will really be in my corner; it has already arrived in the United States.”
“There is a version that he will climb into the cage after the main fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington and challenge the winner to a fight.
“No, we didn’t discuss it,” Ulanbekov said.
The 32-year-old fighter, 178 cm tall, weighs 56.7 kg
Statistical resources incorrectly indicate the height of Tagir Ulanbekov (167 cm – on Sherdog.com), in fact, the fighter himself earlier said about his height to that this figure is 178 cm. At the same time, Ulanbekov enters the category up to 56.7 kg.
— You are 178 cm tall, but you fight in the category up to 56.7 kg. What category do your sparring partners belong to?
– Differently. In the 61 kg category I train with Umar Nurmagomedov, there are training partners of 66 kg and 70 kg.
– Does it amuse you that you’re the same size as Daniel Cormier, but he’s a heavyweight, and you fight at minimum weight?
– No, it’s not funny. It’s just who I am.
— Is it difficult to reach a weight of 56.7 kg at 32 years old?
— I can do it normally for now. Then we’ll see if everything suits me so far. Losing weight is in principle difficult, I can’t say that it is harder for me than for others. If I start lifting weights at 61 kg now, it will be difficult for me too; there is no such thing as easy bodybuilding.
Shavkat Rakhmonov worked in the market and now drives a Gelika
In an initial interview with , Rakhmonov said that before the 2010-2011 fights, he worked as a loader at the Shygys market in Karaganda. Today, while filming a documentary about his training, Rakhmonov comes to train in the most popular SUV among MMA fighters.
— I bought it recently. Since childhood I dreamed of such a car, in principle, I drove it as long as I can remember. I like this car, some – not so much, as if it is not comfortable enough, but for me – yes. I would buy a few more.
Chinese fans can request socks as gifts
This is a story by Muslim Salikhov:
— A guy came up to me and asked me “at least something”, and I was in a T-shirt, shorts and slippers. I just got to the fights. And he said, “Give me something of yourself.” » I said, “Well, how do you imagine that? Am I going to go in shorts or shirtless? He said, “At least give me some socks.” » I told him to come to the hotel and gave him a T-shirt.
— Was that your Chinese fan?
– Yes yes. They are somewhat special people. There were different things there. It took me a long time to get used to the way they ask to take photos, or rather, they may not even ask, but stand in front of you with a phone and start taking photos , I didn’t like it. This moment was unpleasant. I played it regularly from 2003 to 2017, I even spoke Chinese quite well and understood the language.
Two fighters from Dagestan, representing different countries, will not face each other
Mohammad Mokaev, who moved to the United Kingdom as a child and fights under the Kingdom’s flag, fights under the weight of Tagir Ulanbekov. Mokaev is now 8th, Ulanbekov 12th.
“I think not. I can’t imagine such a fight. I think that if such a fight is offered to us, we ourselves will decide one way or another, but we will not fight, ”says Tagir Ulanbekov.
Islam Makhachev “deployed” Ulanbekov in the first training session
Makhachev and Ulanbekov started training in Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s gym more than 10 years ago.
“I came to the gym a little earlier than Islam, in 2007, and he came in 2008. But he knew Abdulmanap before me, because Khabib studied at the same school as him. I’m a little older than him, by a few months. And I remember we had a funny incident: Islam came to the first practice. And I’ve been there before. He said to me: “Let’s fight with you. » I say, “Come on. » I thought: I’m a beginner, now I will deploy it with confidence. But Islam always fought well and crushed me.
In Kazakhstan, videos for the international UFC channel are filmed by Russian cameramen
Before each numbered tournament, the UFC shoots a documentary film “Countdown” with participants in the main and co-main fights; this time the cameramen flew to Alma-Ata.
— Guys from Russia came to film, the UFC just hires employees in each region and they send equipment. A cameraman accompanies you and films.
— Did you show the guys in Almaty anything?
– No, it didn’t work, because there were intense training sessions and there was little time. And there are so many beautiful places you could go to in Medeu.
You can feel better at 39 than at 30
As we said, Muslim Salikhov is one of the most veteran Russian fighters.
— Among Russian UFC fighters, only Shamil Abdurakhimov is older than you. Do you think you would be able to fight at 30 years old today?
— In MMA, I would definitely win with just one goal. And in Wushu Sanda, he would have lost without any chance. It’s just that at 30 I was only working on wushu sanda, and now I do MMA, I’m a different type of fighter than when I was 30. Then the tactics were different and the training was different. In terms of conditioning, I am now better and more resilient than before. I breathe better than at 30, I’m ready for longer work, three rounds of five minutes each.
Minimum weight fighter doing squats with one hundred kilograms
Tagir Ulanbekov works with scales not only during weighing:
—In what ways do you think you have become stronger over the past five years?
“I think I’ve gotten better at standing and on the ground. Physical characteristics have improved. In Kislovodsk, we carried out tests with an oxygen mask. And my results have improved. I got better at iron exercises: I looked at what weights I had in squats five years ago and now. Now the weight is different. I can squat around 95 kilograms, maybe even 100.
Shavkat Rakhmonov will wish Islam Makhachev good luck, even if he overtakes him in the title race
At this tournament, Islam Makhachev can enter the cage after the main fight and officially decide the winner. This will mean two things: Islam is officially moving from lightweight (70.3 kg) to featherweight (77.1 kg). And at the same time, Islam crosses the path of many young featherweights, including Shavkat Rakhmonov.
— What do you think of Islam Makhachev’s move to the under 77 kg category?
– Nothing, it’s the UFC that decides, they do what they want. I’m neither particularly cold nor hot, I don’t want to scream. If they give him away, whether he’s a champion, it doesn’t matter to me.
— If Islam gets a title fight in your weight class, will you wish him luck?
– Yes of course. Islam is a media, they can give him a title fight.
— What was your heaviest weight between fights?
— I weighed 92 kg, but that was when I didn’t train at all.
Muslim Salikhov adds: “Islam can beat Colby and Edwards. Weird question. Islam is the best fighter in the world, he beat everyone in his weight class. In terms of skills, he is the best now.
There’s no time for “The Boy’s Word” in the UFC
Rakhmonov: “Yes, yes, they are looking in Kazakhstan, many advised me, but I did not look. So, probably. Now we are preparing, we have very little time.
Ulanbekov: “I’ve heard of this series, but I haven’t watched it yet. We don’t have time to prepare for this.
Shavkat Rakhmonov was not impressed by Khamzat Chimaev fight
They both competed at the same weight (past tense because Khamzat hasn’t fought at welterweight for a long time) and at one point Chimaev even said harsh words about Rakhmonov. In October, Khamzat Chimaev had a tough fight with Kamaru Usman.
— What do you think of the Chimaev fight?
– An ordinary fight, nothing like it. Khamzat was tired, if I understood correctly, and that’s all. But Usman came into this fight when he had two or three weeks of preparation.
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.
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.
