MOSCOW, January 17, Ivan Orekhov. Founder of Russian MMA promotion Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) Mayrbek Khasiev said that the league has no plans to sign former fighters of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) who are close to ending their careers. Earlier, a number of ex-UFC representatives joined the roster of the national Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC) league, owned by former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov “My son told me about these fighters. My answer is simple: when we sign former UFC fighters, we are criticized that we sign downed pilots. When other leagues sign, they are “top fighters.” Let them pick these top fighters and do business. And I refused,” Khasiev told reporters. “All these fighters are on a losing streak. If you bring them here, to Russia, they won’t make any revolution. And they won’t attract much attention. At the same time, if you use their names in the USA, even despite on the recession is normal. But if you bring them to Russia, they will say: «They brought the downed pilots, finish them off,» ACA President Alexei Yatsenko supported Khasiev. The next ACA 135 promotion tournament will be held on January 28 in Grozny.
