Russian MMA fighter Kirill Sidelnikov after defeating the American Rakim Cleveland told that he could continue his career in one of the Russian promotions and fight with Hadith Ibrahimov .
Sidelnikov fought his first MMA fight since July 2022, defeating Cleveland by TKO at the Ural FC 8 tournament in Perm. Earlier, 36-year-old Sidelnikov announced that he was leaving Fedor Emelianenko’s team, where he trained for more than 10 years.
— You returned to MMA two years after your last fight. Are you considering fully resuming your career?
— When a fight ends, you always have thoughts like, yes, this is necessary. Now I will calm down a little, come to my senses and understand. I think I will definitely not return to any championship races, but, in principle, for now I am open to suggestions.
— You don’t have an exclusive contract with Ural FC? In theory, can you fight your next fight in ACA or RCC?
— In theory, yes, but it’s a difficult question. A lot has changed for me over the past year, I left Stary Oskol, now I am completely alone, except for coaches, no one takes care of my affairs and no one came to me directly with suggestions. I have the motivation to test myself, now I train in a boxing gym with excellent boxers, I feel like I can do something else.
— Let’s say that in the RCC league, Khadis Ibragimov wins against Ivan Shtyrkov and you are offered a fight with him. What will be important to you: fees and rules?
– Yes, of course, fees and rules. I’m ready to fight boxing, and boxing, but with MMA gloves and just MMA. Hadith is a strong athlete, it will be interesting for me to try myself, to test my strength.
— What if ASA offers you a contract for three fights?
– We can discuss it. Interesting. But for three fights, of course, it’s unlikely. To fight in the ASA, you need a certain team to prepare for. I’m currently getting help at the Boxing Progress Center, but MMA needs more people. Yes, of course, I will continue to prepare with Ali Piduriev, but to be honest, I have never fought for this fight. Not even once! It has become more difficult to find people for such training. It’s more difficult than when I was at Stary Oskol,” Sidelnikov 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.
