ASA League Vice President Aslanbek Badaev explained why to Alexander Shlemenko Or Albert Durayev could not replace the injured Magomed Ismailova in a duel with Anatoly Tokov .
Ismailov was scheduled to fight former Bellator middleweight title challenger Anatoly Tokov at ACA 172 on March 9, but withdrew from the fight due to a meniscus injury. During his career in 2014 and 2018, Tokov defeated other popular middleweights in Russia, Duraev and Shlemenko.
— Have you ever thought about calling Alexander Shlemenko and asking him to replace him?
— We had all kinds of thoughts, but honestly, we didn’t remember Alexander. I don’t know why, at least I didn’t remember. We signed Tokov specifically for this fight, and there was no longer even a question of replacing Magomed with anyone else. As soon as he withdrew from this battle, his first thought was: what do we do with Tokov?
— Was the idea of a rematch with Albert Duraev discussed (Tokov beat Duraev in March 2014)?
– No. Albert (after leaving the UFC. – ) did not contact us. We don’t even know what his status is, if he’s going to continue his career, if he wants to play in the ASA league, we don’t know. There were no such thoughts. But if Tokov says that he wants to fight with someone from the ASA league so as not to sit idly by, then, naturally, Albert will be a potential opponent. We just need to understand what he wants.
— People who are less immersed in MMA ask the question: why is there no replacement fighter in this case?
— In such a fight, Ismailov and Tokov can be adequately replaced by Vladimir Mineev or Alexander Shlemenko. Anyone who talks about a replacement hunter does not understand the reality of this profession. You can’t take another fighter and pay him “money miles” because he’ll fight or not, but you’ll still have to pay him. You are guaranteed to have to pay the person who replaces you, and to pay a lot,” Badaev told .
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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.
