One of the most publicized fights of the year in Russian mixed martial arts between Magomed Ismailov and Alexander Shlemenko is postponed again. This has been discussed throughout the past week, but on Tuesday, July 12, the mega fight organizer, the RCC League, officially announced that the fight was rescheduled from August to December. Magomed Ismailov does not have time to treat a knee injury. At the same time, Shlemenko will still fight on August 26 in Yekaterinburg at the RCC 12 tournament.
Immediately after the official announcement, spoke with the RCC Executive Director Nikolai Klimenko. From the interview you can learn:
“WE ARE IMPORTANT THAT SHLEMENKO AND ISMAILOV ARRIVE IN OPTIMAL CONDITIONS”
“It’s not for nothing that this confrontation is called the most anticipated,” Klimenko said in a conversation with . “It is very important for us that they go to the fight in optimal shape. And if Magomed does not complete the treatment, it will be impossible. Therefore, this fight will have to be postponed to a later date. It is too early to speak. exact date, but this meeting is scheduled for mid-autumn-early winter. Ismailov asked to move the fight to the end of September. But Alexander Shlemenko already has a duel for these terms.
– Shlemenko himself said that he could fight on September 30 in Omsk as part of his own tournament.
– Yes, but in principle it’s better for us to have this fight in December. We will summarize the results of the year with this confrontation. Both athletes want to enter the fight at their peak, and we’re ready to wait for the public to witness a real, competitive spectacle.
– When you officially announced the signing of the contracts and called the date – August 26, did you think the fight should be rescheduled again?
– The organization of high-level tournaments is always a risk, and we were ready to accept them. This fight will continue to be topical by the end of the year. Ismailov also approached the issue responsibly, he warned us in advance. We contacted Alexander.
– How did Shlemenko react?
– This is the second transfer, and it is clear that this affects Alexander’s plans, he connected with some kind of schedule for himself. But I’m sure Shlemenko will approach this situation with understanding.
– Two transfers of such a publicized confrontation will in no way affect the reputation of the organization?
– We will be hosting an equally high-profile event on August 26 in Yekaterinburg, and that tournament will be led by the Shlemenko fight. Who will be the opponent, we will determine in the coming week. Now there are several candidates.
– Can you tell us who you consider to be Shlemenko’s rival?
– We are working on an option with Souza, known by the nickname Alligator. The negotiations have been going on for a long time, let’s see how it ends, that’s one of the options.
– And how do you like the sign of the duel between Shlemenko and Yasubey Enomoto? The Swiss samurai is a friend of Ismailov. Here it would be nice to beat.
It is possible, but in the future. Right now I want to see new names. The rematch with Enomoto is not interesting for Alexander. Although Yasubey is certainly interested. Maybe in the future we will have such a duel. Enomoto only becomes more spectacular and interesting with age.
– Earlier, the fees of Shlemenko and Ismailov were announced, which will amount to 300,000 dollars each. Will Shlemenko’s fee for August 26 fight be the same?
“This is an individual contract that I cannot disclose.
Who will play on the August show undercard?
– The map is still being formed, but Ivan Shtyrkov will perform in the co-main event, the opponent will sign a contract in the near future. Timur Nagibin and Boris Medvedev will also enter the octagon. There will be more interesting names.
– How do you rate Shtyrkov’s desire to compete in boxing?
– I think Vanya is already a superstar. There is always attention on him. It’s very cool that he tries his hand at boxing. This cradles his name as well as the brand of our organization.
“I WENT TO SHLEMENKO’S CAMP AND SAW HIM FROM THE OTHER SIDE – HE’S NOT A SURRIBLE PERSON”
– Let’s go back to the confrontation between Ismailov and Shlemenko. There are people who speculate that their meeting will never happen.
The fighters have signed a contract.
–AMC Fight Nights head Kamil Gadzhiev says Shlemenko and Ismailov “don’t seem to want to fight.”
– Camil is more interested in the public watching his promotions. For my part, I can say that we are interested in this meeting. People will be interested to see the outcome of this long-awaited story.
I really like the two athletes, they are opposites. We will do our best to make this fight happen. Both fighters are already participating in our shows – the taping of the RCC Fight Show is coming to an end, where Shlemenko and Ismailov act as team captains.
– Can we say that for the RCC this fight is a matter of principle?
We don’t throw words to the wind. Now it all depends on the guys.
– Was the date of the fight indicated in the meeting contract between Shlemenko and Ismailov?
– Yes it was. But I have already explained why we are happy with the postponement to December,
– Consequently, will an additional agreement be specified in the current contract?
– Exactly. We certainly will. But it is still premature to talk about the moment of signing – we must finally agree on the date.
– Ismailov is very active in the media field, he attends many events, attracts attention, and also holds various sterdowns. So, for example, with Vyacheslav Datsik.
I’m glad he’s not standing still. Magomed is not related to fighting, it works for itself. Thus, drawing attention to our organization, to the fight to come.
It is clear that we are focusing on the meeting between Shlemenko and Ismailov. But since we are doing a Shlemenko fight, we can consider, for example, a boxing match for Ismailov with us. But this is only an idea that I can propose to the management of RCC Boxing Promotions.
– It is interesting to observe the communication between Shlemenko and Ismailov. As you rightly said, they are antipodes.
— I like these characters, they look at the same things in different ways. Relatively recently, I went to Shlemenko’s camp and saw him on the other side. A lot of people think he’s a dark person, but he’s not. Alexander is very cheerful and smiling, when preparing the guys he showed himself as a real leader. And soon I will go to Magomed Ismailov’s camp.
“ALEXANDER EMELYANENKO’S SPEECH AT THE RCC? IT’S NOT READY YET”
– In Yekaterinburg, Alexander Emelianenko is now preparing. Did you manage to communicate with him?
– Personally, no. I know Ivan Shtyrkov spoke to him.
– How realistic is the Emelianenko Jr. fight on the RCC site?
– Everything is possible. But it all depends on the form of Alexander, how he can solve his problems. Maybe we’ll watch his future fights, assess the condition, and then make a decision. Today, in my opinion, he is not ready yet, and the question of his participation in our tournaments is still difficult to consider.
– You are also the head of kickboxing organization – RCC Fair Fight. What did you think of Glory’s decision to terminate contracts with Russian kickboxers?
— I consider that to be a mistake. This is the wrong approach. Watch the UFC where our fighters fight. It’s business.
From such a stage, only the Glory organization itself is worse, because the best fighters will go to other promotions. For example, in the growing One Championship, where the guys will have better conditions.
– Have you communicated with the already ex-champion of glory Artem Vakhitov about his performance in your organization?
– Through his manager, we talked about his participation with us. In principle, it is possible. While discussions continue at the very beginning. It all depends first on the conditions in which he is ready to play.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
