ASA League negotiates with former Bellator champion Vitali Minakov and is ready to consider his fight against Khadis Ibragimov as a contender’s fight, Aslanbek Badaev, vice-president of the organization, told .
On June 16, ASA promotion champion Evgeny Goncharov defended his belt and won the Heavyweight Grand Prix, defeating challenger Adam Bogatyrev. Previously, Goncharov had won over most of the heavyweights occupying high places in the ACA rankings.
— It will be difficult for Goncharov to choose an opponent for the next defense, and at the press conference they remembered Vitaly Minakov. Have you already negotiated with him?
– Yes, of course, we negotiated on Minakov. We talked with manager Rizvan Magomedov and wanted to sign him to the heavyweight Grand Prix when it was just beginning. But Vitaly’s status was such that he still hoped to get a visa and fight in America. If he had not received a visa, he would have been ready to fight with us and come to the Grand Prix. We needed an answer and they did not give us an answer. Vitaly did not receive a visa, but remained in Bellator and since then, it seems, has not played in this organization.
Vitaly also said that they didn’t respect the preparation deadlines, but I think the information was conveyed to him incorrectly. We didn’t say that he had to fight on a certain date, we basically had a conversation about whether he was ready or not. They said that there was a Grand Prix, that there were rivals, but the date was not discussed.
— What are the chances that you or someone from the ASA League will call Vitaly Minakov next week?
– Hardly. We could sign him, but giving a title fight from the first fight is not our style. I will not say that it is difficult to choose an opponent for Evgeniy. There is Alikhan Vakhaev, against whom Evgeniy won hard. We could say “hardly won”. Zhenya may not like him as a competitor, but you never know who someone likes or dislikes. Maybe he is not the most emotional, maybe he does not have a strong media component, but he has earned his right to a title shot. Another contender could be determined in the pair Vyazigin vs. Vakhaev.
— What if we made a fight between Vitaly Minakov and Khadis Ibragimov for the right to claim the ACA belt?
– It would be a good fight, but we must understand that Khadis Ibragimov is signed to other organizations, and he will not be able to fight often in the ACA league and will not be able to combine his performances with us with his performances in other leagues. We seem to forget about this factor, and it would be difficult for him. And Vitaly Minakov will probably ask for more than we would be willing to give him. There is also Soslan Asbarov, who wants to fight in MMA. Perhaps he will fight with Minakov for the right to win the title, “Badaev told .
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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.
