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Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Kirill Sidelnikov is preparing with might and main for his debut in professional boxing. Already on October 19 at the Ural FC tournament in Perm, the domestic heavyweight will share the ring with the Moroccan Nidal Bikiri — he talked to Sport about the upcoming fight, Fedor Emelianenko’s departure from the team and promising fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). br>
br>From MMA to boxing
— How did the idea of a debut in boxing come about?
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“This thought has been floating around in my soul for a long time, but I didn’t think that it would be possible to bring all this to life. But I received an offer from Ural FC to try myself in boxing, and without hesitation, I agreed — it was inside me. Although I am a sambo wrestler, this is my native sport, I will always beat my chest to talk about it, but boxing stands next to me and is very impressive.
— Interestingly, an MMA fighter, when preparing for a boxing match, completely “forgets” for wrestling, kicks?
— I’ve been preparing for boxing for two months. And I completely forgot about the legs, about wrestling — this is a different discipline. I need to switch gears in my head, understand timings, so I fully devote myself to boxing.
— Is the story with the boxing fight a one-time event? Or does Kirill Sidelnikov plan to gradually immerse himself in the world of boxing and move away from mixed martial arts?
— There is no desire to completely move away from MMA . But demand creates supply — if you like the fight and it’s spectacular, if they’re interested in me and like it myself, then I won’t refuse. Or maybe I’ll perform and think: “Why the hell do I need this! MMA is closer to me.”
Fury vs. Predator and Usik
— You can say you fell into the trend started by Conor McGregor in 2017 fight vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. But many fans don’t like him: they say that the difference between MMA fighters and professional boxers is colossal and they only need it for the sake of money.
— Still, we are not professional boxers. I trained in Moscow for two months — I see my mistakes and understand that this cannot be done in boxing. But it breaks out! And people who understand boxing see a technique that is not entirely professional. It hurts their eyes. But black PR is also PR. If people are talking, it means there is interest.
— According to fans, there is no intrigue in such confrontations. Here, Tyson Fury and ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou will fight…
— Here I agree with them. My personal opinion: Ngannou has nothing to catch there. He would go out with Cyril Gan in boxing, two people come from MMA… And here, the leader of the world ranking in boxing. I’m interested in watching this, but Ngannou will be completely declassed.
— It looks like “why not suffer for the sake of money.”
— What do you think about the December poster of Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk?
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It is disgusting to box a heavy person with a light one. And Usyk is really fast, he can move and see. Fury will not have enough 12 rounds to get Alexander. Usik is my favorite… I think the fight will last the entire distance.
About parting with Fedor Emelianenko's team
— Your departure from the Fedor Team turned out to be resonant, in some media the wording “scandalous” even flashed. Was the breakup really painful?
“It’s really painful for me.” The cats are still scratching, but they’ve already gotten over it. This saga lasted since February. In July, I told the media for the first time that I had left. But in fact, I left at the end of February — all this time was difficult for me. But it’s okay: this is life, it throws up difficulties that you need to overcome, endure, and move on.
— Let’s look at the situation from a slightly different angle. Fighters often change teams; gyms are a normal occurrence in the world of martial arts.
— Why does this happen: gyms are changed for the sake of sparring partners. In Fedor’s team we had a colossal number of good guys, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions — we had the best. But we need fresh blood, and we’ve been a little too late. Vadim Nemkov tried it first and liked it. He trained in Thailand and the States — we saw that he grew up in both physics and psychology.
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Nobody ever said that we couldn’t go to other halls. It was comfortable to train in Stary Oskol: the gym, accommodation, everything, everything, everything… However, I will tell future MMA fighters that in order to grow, you need to leave your comfort zone.
—You warmly congratulated Emelianenko Sr. on social networks on his birthday. Was it possible to congratulate you personally?
— No.
What to expect from Makhachev and Nemkov
— Two days after your fight, the main tournament of the year will take place for Russian fans of UFC 294. Makhachev's revenge against Oliveira in Abu Dhabi will be more competitive?
— The first fight is declassing. I think it will be about the same now. I know Islam personally from the combat sambo team, I know what kind of plowman he is. I have no doubts about Islam.
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If Oliveira remains at the same level, nothing will change. If the Brazilian turned his preparation and psychology upside down, perhaps the fight would be more competitive. However, I still give 99% that Islam will win.
— Makhachev has repeatedly said that he wants to rise to welterweight for the second UFC belt. But the guys there are heavier, and the wrestling skills of the “tops” are better than in the lightweight division. Are you able?
— He's strong enough, he pushes a lot of weight. I’ll make an analogy with my friend Nemkov: Vadim was told to go to heavyweight a long time ago, he was worried… In heavyweight he feels great. It’s the same with Islam: I don’t think that he will give in to his physical abilities, everything is possible. If he really needs it, let him try.
True, champions in two weight classes do not remain for long. For me, it’s better to stay in one and remain a champion longer than to chase two birds with one stone.
— But Chimaev is returning at UFC 294. And he returns as a clear favorite. Isn’t it reckless for experts and bookmakers to write off Paulo Costa?
— I heard about Chimaev that he is a machine. An angry dog, in a good way, who, like a pit bull, clings to his opponent. Costa is dangerous, striking power plus physical data — I bet 60 to 40 in favor of Khamzat, there will be a bright fight. And I wouldn’t write Kostya off.
— After each victory, Khamzat is tipped for the role of the new UFC flagship. But every time it’s like something is missing…
— UFC head Dana White was interested in him.
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And now — my personal opinion — White is not so interested in him. I don't know what this is connected with. Dana was closely connected with Khabib, they communicated outside of fights — Khamzat’s connection with White became smaller, and the volume of his name subsided.
— About Nemkov. His title fight is moving away: champion Ryan Bader's fight with Linton Wessell fell through due to the latter's health problems. Downtime is not dangerous for Vadim?
—We don’t know how they will come to an agreement. Maybe Bellator is already calling Vadim and asking if he is ready to take a fight for the belt with Bader. For Nemkov, this is a great opportunity to immediately enter and declare himself in the heavyweight division.
This is also interesting for promotion. A rematch in another division will attract both the public in the United States and fans from Russia. Even if we leave aside the fact that I know Vadim closely and communicate with him, this fight is very interesting to me.
— Which fight are you most looking forward to now? ?
— I don’t take into account Fedor’s team, I always woke up and watched the guys from there live… I really root for Serega Pavlovich and somewhere in my soul (I hope ) that Stipe Miocic will “leave” the fight for the UFC title and Seryoga will come in as a substitute against champion Jon Jones.
I would also love to watch Pavlovich’s fight against Gan. Two good drummers, similar anthropometrically and stylistically. A fight for life and death.
Lastly about the stars
— Five years have passed since the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Do you think we will ever see a super fight like this? And will we see such stars?
— In the world of MMA, they don’t light up so often. Fedor Emelianenko is a big star, Mirko «Cro Cop» Filipovic, Brock Lesnar… Then there were Nurmagomedov and McGregor — time will have to pass. It doesn’t happen that every day there are emotions, PR, big people… Take any sport.
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If you look at the roster of fighters, I don’t even know who lit up as much as Khabib and Conor. What made them interesting? McGregor is the founder of trash talk, let’s call it “nasty.” And now the fighters have returned to the sporting component and have become more restrained. But many began to earn more thanks to Conor, this is the merit of the Irishman.
Makhachev is a talented guy, an ideal athlete. But the modest fellow, he cannot pour out dirt. Islam is an athlete from head to toe, but not a showman.
— But it’s difficult to call Khabib a trash talker.
— Yes, you can’t call him . But he had such enormous popularity that people fell in love with him, just as they once loved Fedor.
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Emelianenko went into battle with a calm face, and everyone thought: “Damn, it’s him!” That he went out, that he fought with unchanged facial expressions. Khabib also won the audience with his inner strength and charisma.