Fights
The Russian top UFC fighter is ready to beat his friend and compatriot. But only on one condition
Sergei Pavlovich is not averse to abandoning his principle and meeting Alexander Volkov in a cage.
The heavyweight UFC has always attracted the attention of martial arts fans, but recently it has become more attractive to Russian MMA fans as well. Sergey Pavlovich burst into the top 5 – a talented puncher from the Rostov region, going on a series of four early victories.
At the same time, the former Bellator and M-1 champion Alexander Volkov has been in the top 10 of the “royal” weight for many years, alternating victories with defeats. The closeness of the Russian fighters in the rankings may sooner or later lead to their confrontation in the cage, which the fans and the athletes from Russia really do not want.
However, Pavlovich expressed his readiness to fight with his compatriot, naming his main condition for the duel!
“Fight is possible only for the belt”
Volkov and Pavlovich have repeatedly said that they have been helping each other for a long time in preparation for battles, so their attitude to face-to-face confrontation is easy to predict. On top of that, most Russian fighters in foreign promotions have an unspoken rule that they try to avoid fighting each other.
The UFC leadership most often forces the Russians to fight among themselves, in terms of their contractual obligations. However, many fighters from our country have repeatedly admitted that, if possible, they chose a fight with a foreigner, and not with their fellow countryman. Pavlovich adheres to the same principle, but still does not completely reject the duel with Alexander:
– This fight is possible only for the belt. We train in Moscow in the gym, help each other. I have a fight – Sanya helps me. When he has a fight, I also help whenever possible. So what is the purpose of this fight? There are many foreign fighters with whom we can fight, show spectacular fights,” Pavlovich said in an interview with the Ushatayka YouTube channel.
This fight is very likely.
At the moment, the confusion in the heavyweight is generated by the legendary Jon Jones, who announced back in 2020 that he was moving to bigger guys. At the same time, specifics on the battle of Kostlyavy appeared only recently: most likely, he will meet with former champion Stipe Miocic in a fight for a temporary belt, while the king of the “heavyweights” Francis Ngannou heals his injury. Jones’ instant fight for the top of the rankings does not raise any questions, John has long been called one of the best fighters in history, if not the best. He does not need to break through fight after fight in the top 5. However, this development of events slightly slows down the other fighters of the division.
In particular, it is not clear who exactly Pavlovich and Volkov should fight. The promotion will likely bring Cyril Gan and Curtis Blades together in the top 3. For Sergey, the most logical fight is with the Australian Tai Tuivasa, who is on the 4th line in the ranking. For Alexander, in turn, the rematch with Derrick Lewis (7th line) looks the most attractive, to whom he insultingly lost by knockout in 2018, leading on points. Top heavyweight prospect Tom Aspinall is left out as he was recently out for a long time due to an injury.
As a result, in the event of an injury to one of the opponents or the impossibility of fighting for other reasons, the circle narrows so much that the fight between Pavlovich and Volkov becomes almost the only possible one, given their close positions in the ranking – fifth and eighth places.
The decisive word will be for the UFC, so Sergey and Alexander may face a real dilemma: risk a contract with the planet’s main promotion or agree to a regular rating fight.
Source: Sportbox
Magazine Ring released the updated ranking of the best heavyweight boxers. He was managed by interim WBO champion Fabio Wardley. Due to inactivity, Tyson Fury fell out of the rankings and Joseph Parker left the list due to a failed doping test.
Ring remains league champion Alexander UsikHe continues to hold the WBC, WBA and IBF titles.
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Interim WBC champion Agit Kabayel takes the second place on the list, while Daniel Dubois is in the top three.
Promising heavyweight Moses Ithauma moved up from ninth to seventh.
Ring’s Heavyweight Rankings:
Champion – Alexander Usik
- Fabio Wordley
- Agit Kabayel
- Daniel Dubois
- Filip Hrgovic
- Zhang Zhilei
- Martin Bakole
- Moses Ithauma
- Efe Ajagba
- RichardTorres
- Murat Gassiev
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
former world champion Tyson Rage The WBC interim champion commented on the possible fight between Agit Kabayel and Alexander Usik. The British boxer believes that Usik will most likely vacate the WBC title because it is commercially unprofitable to defend the belt against ranked opponents.
“Personally, I don’t think Usyk will fight someone ranked in the WBC because there’s no point in it. Will he get paid to fight Agit Kabayel? No. He wants to fight popular names with fans, so he will vacate his WBC title. Agit will be the champion and then he will be able to defend it against the winner of the Okolie-Itauma fight,” Fury said.
Previously, Alexander Usik (24-0, 15 KOs), the holder of the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles (over 90.7 kg), talked about his plans and admitted when he plans to end his professional career. The boxer recently vacated his WBO title and lost his status as absolute world champion.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
Fights
The Russian champion switched to the flag of a foreign country. I had to pay for the solution
Malik stopped joining the national team, and compensation will be paid for his transfer.
The issue of the return of Russian athletes to international tournaments is finally moving to a practical level. In some sports we are talking about performing under national symbols. However, even at such times there are those who want to change the flag.
The Russian wrestling champion decided to represent Kyrgyzstan. But the FSBI is not too worried about the loss.
New champion of Kyrgyzstan
The transition of Russian athletes to foreign flags is not a new phenomenon, although from the moment Russians began to be discriminated against in the international arena, the unpleasant process has intensified. Figure skaters, tennis players, wrestlers, swimmers, and cyclists left for the national teams of other countries for various reasons.
It would seem that the situation for our athletes has begun to change for the better: performing at international competitions is now not such a rarity, some have even begun to compete or are preparing to do so under the tricolor. But those who want to change their sports citizenship still remain. The day before, freestyle wrestler Malik Shavaev decided to switch to a foreign flag.
The two-time champion of Russia and champion of the BRICS Games won the Kyrgyz championship in freestyle wrestling in the weight category up to 86 kg and now intends to represent this country on the international stage. In 2026, Bishkek will host the Asian Championships, a little later Bahrain will host the World Championships, and Japan will host the Asian Games. Malik, if circumstances do not interfere, is preparing to compete at these international tournaments.
“We get compensation”
The President of the Russian Wrestling Federation (FSBR), Mikhail Mamiashvili, does not see a big tragedy in the athlete’s transition to the banner of Kyrgyzstan.
— He is not a member of the Russian national team. Therefore, he decided to change his citizenship and try his luck in the Kyrgyz national team. It is completed in accordance with the established procedure, and we receive compensation for this. “And I can only wish Malik success,” Mamiashvili told Match TV.
If we leave out the success at the BRICS Games, then Malik did not manage to make much noise on the international stage. In 2021, at the European Championships, he lost in the quarterfinals, and over time, he stopped making the national team altogether. Of course, this is not exactly a valid reason to change citizenship. But if there is no hope of returning to the ranks of the strongest at the national level, and career ambitions are higher than the flag, then what is the point of keeping such an athlete?
In general, there is nothing good about any losses for Russian sports. But it’s better to part with those who cannot compete with the strongest, and even receive compensation, than to give away potential champions. Moreover, Malik did not allow himself to make pretentious speeches about a “new homeland,” which some ex-Russian tennis players were guilty of. Therefore, in a particular case, perhaps, we can sincerely wish the wrestler success on the mat. Of course, with the exception of fights with the Russians.
Source: Sportbox
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