Russian mixed martial arts star Vyacheslav Datsik in less than a minute dealt with Geronimo «Mondragon» dos Santos. The Sport correspondent saw the beating of the Brazilian guest live and answered five main questions about the high-profile fight.
1. What kind of tournament did Datsik lead? The show on the Volga was organized by the promotion Ural Fighting Championship (Ural FC), founded last year. It was the second tournament for the young league. The first one was held in the summer of 2022 in Perm — the next one was hosted by not-March-warm Samara this Saturday (how unusual it was to squint from the sun after a cold downpour in the capital).
By the way, the league's general director is the former President of the MMA Union of Russia Radmir Gabdullin.
2. How was the meeting with Mondragon?Rules: The kickboxing fight was scheduled for nine minutes (three rounds of three minutes).
It all ended very quickly. Before the fight, media representatives were allowed into the locker room to Slava, where he practiced a funeral blow from the right. It looked terrible! It was this punch that overtook Mondragon at the 13th second of the fight — the Brazilian collapsed to the canvas, and it seemed that that was it. But dos Santos «recovered» to fly into a knockdown again, this time after a missed «left».
Has Datsik's rival got up? Yes. But he did not continue the fight. Even during the first fall, the fighter injured his shoulder, which he let the judge know, who recorded the technical knockout.
3. Is the formidable Brazilian really that bad? A record of 44 wins and 24 losses can hardly be called steep. But there is a colossal experience gained in battles with our Alexander Emelianenko, Sergey Kharitonov and Vitaly Minakov (lost to everyone) and Ivan Shtyrkov (draw). And the lucky punch, which more than once helped to create upsets for heavyweight underdogs.
It's a pity that Mondragon spent all his strength on «viral» sterdowns with Datsik. In the battle of opinions, let's face it, Red Tarzan's opposition was much more serious.
4. What did the victor say? First, immediately after the fight, Red Tarzan apologized to the guests of the Vladimir Vysotsky Sports Palace for a «good but short fight.» And then, already in a conversation with journalists, he expressed respect to his rival from Brazil:
““The left one arrives“ unexpectedly ”. Mondragon — well done, did not run, went forward and attacked. We hacked ourselves — it turned out that in my childhood I ate more shells. .. And my bones are stronger!».
5. What are Datsik's future plans? There are countless options, given the media presence of Red Tarzan and his ability to fight almost every week. But let's focus on three names:
- After the fight, Datsik asked the Ural League to organize a rematch with Jerome Le Banner. This is the famous kickboxer from France, whom Vyacheslav lost ahead of schedule in 2019;
- Also, a hype fight with Gadzhi «Automatic» Navruzov, the star » cams». The latter could show off with Datsik on the Ural FC 2 poster, but due to a severe hand injury, he will take the fight only at the end of summer. The spectacle will be fiery, especially if Gadzhi keeps his promise and fights with one healthy hand;
- Next week, Datsik will have to sort things out with the American Kevin Johnson. The fight will take place on March 31 in Moscow.