The ACA wanted a big joint tournament. Rizin is the best option.
Sergey Sorokin May 22, 2024, 15:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The successes of the Russian promotion have been followed abroad for a long time.
The ACA is one of the main Russian leagues. But unfortunately, our promotions have become quite closed. Joint tournaments are rarely held, of which there are already numerous examples abroad. Therefore, it may be worth looking for opportunities abroad. The ACA has repeatedly expressed its desire to hold a major event with another major promotion. And they even received a positive response. But in the European leagues it has not yet been possible to achieve this. But there is an interesting Asian market and Rizin. And there they love to experiment and know how to make excellent company.
Fans are sure that the best martial arts in the country are found in Yekaterinburg and Chechnya:
The Russian capital of MMA is not in Moscow. In the regions everything is much cooler.
Mairbek Khasiev spoke about the desire to hold a joint tournament. Furthermore, he challenged two of the biggest promotions on the planet at once: “In the American league, Bellator has finally reached what I have been talking about for a long time! These are wall-to-wall battles between the best leagues in the world! Great, we accepted this challenge and I have no doubt that the ASA will “eliminate” its US colleagues. Only in this case the question arises: “What will this victory give us if Bellator is not the best organization?” Having defeated their fighters, we will not be satisfied, and then what does such success mean? I have a counteroffer that I’ve been talking about for years. This is to organize a Grand Prix of the best leagues in the world! I think four promotions will be enough, it is unlikely that there will be more. It would be fair to separate the UFC and Bellator, and then, by drawing, distribute the ACA and the fourth participant to the semifinals. We will be satisfied with any option in the initial meeting!”
The idea actually seemed very interesting. Especially considering the fact that, in the form of a single event, it could become a unifying factor, bringing together mixed martial arts fans from all over the planet in front of their screens. And now the idea can explode with renewed vigor. Khasiev took over as president of the ACA. This means you can take interesting steps. And one of them could be the holding of a joint tournament.
It is worth noting that at one point even Scott Coker, the president of Bellator, acknowledged his interest in confronting the ACA: “I know the ACA. But I never spoke to anyone there. Since we held a tournament with Rizin, many leagues have offered us similar things. If that makes sense, I’m not afraid. “Let’s do that.”
Mairbek Khasiev
Photo: ACA MMA
Why is Rizin the ideal choice? There are several factors at the same time. First of all, the organization has extensive experience in holding joint tournaments. The most recent example is two “fights” with Bellator. Especially brilliant was the first, where Khabib Nurmagomedov himself became the coach of the Gladiators. And then on New Year’s Eve, mixed martial arts fans were treated to a host of exciting fights. In 2023 the situation was repeated. But now the united duo of PFL and Bellator are focused on competing with the UFC. And Rizin is a great opportunity to start gaining experience in this area for ACA.
Kolesnik shines in Japan:
He defeated his opponent and put on a show for the fans. The Russian is one step away from the Rizin champion title
Secondly, Rizin’s level of organization has increased significantly lately. Invite very interesting artists. And some of them represent Russia. For example, one of the brightest fighters is Viktor Kolesnik, who achieves victories and fights for the champion title. But besides him, many stars gathered in the league. Therefore, it is possible to organize a very decent poster of a joint tournament with the ACA.
This broadcast season Rizin available at OKKO.
Thirdly, Rizin definitely has the motivation to take care of the Russian promotion. Because? Because Khasiev at one time did not speak very flatteringly about the Japanese promotion: “Scott Coker and company chose too easy a path by fighting Rizin. We already saw what happened, the Japanese promotion acted as an extra and lost 0-5. To be honest, he still didn’t understand what the idea of this meeting was; initially there was no intrigue. But the main thing is that the ice has been broken and now Bellator, inspired by its “success”, is challenging all other leagues.”
I really want that idea to come true sooner or later. And if the first joint tournament is successful, the experiment can be launched. And then it is quite possible to bring Japanese stars to Russia. Our country has seriously missed events of this magnitude.
