Title opportunity for Lomachenko, Shlemenko and Shtyrkov in Yekaterinburg. Main fights of the week
Igor Nekrasov May 6, 2024, 09:45 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Imam Khataev will continue to make noise in the pros and Vyacheslav Borshchev will continue to make noise in the UFC.
Next week, as always, will present martial arts fans with many different tournaments and exciting fights. Vasily Lomachenko returns to the boxing ring, who will contest another world title fight in the UFC, Derrick Lewis will try to please with another brilliant finish and celebration, and Vyacheslav Borshchev will also perform there. Well, Alexander Shlemenko will fly to Yekaterinburg again.
May 11. Alexander Shlemenko – Kuat Khamitov
The major mixed martial arts tournament RCC 19 will be held in Yekaterinburg. Once again, Alexander Shlemenko will perform in the main event of the tournament. The experienced Storm, who closed a defeat against Alexander Ilic in the Urals, accepted the challenge of Kazakh fighter Kuat Khamitov. Kuat also has a lot of experience under his belt, having managed to compete in several leagues, both in Russia and abroad, including the ONE Championship. Shlemenko and Khamitov are generating interest in the fight on social media, so the fight should be really hot.
Shlemenko often acts for his age:
Shlemenko wants to get 100 fights as a professional. We analyze Storm’s possibilities for the anniversary
May 11. Ivan Shtyrkov – Gadzhimurad Antigulov
Of course, what major tournament in Yekaterinburg can do without RCC’s main star – Ivan Shtyrkov? Ural Hulk returns to the cage and for the first time in a long time he will fight according to MMA rules. Lately, Shtyrkov has been experimenting and trying himself in boxing and kickboxing, but this time he will fight according to the rules of mixed martial arts: apparently, with a hint of an upcoming rematch with Vladimir Mineev.
It is interesting that Shtyrkov changed his opponent twice: first, it was supposed to be David Barkhudaryan, who later withdrew from the tournament, after which Shamil Gamzatov volunteered to replace David, but also left the fight. As a result, Shtyrkov will share the cage with former UFC fighter Gadzhimurad Antigulov. It turns out that two former UFC fighters will perform in the main event of the tournament in Yekaterinburg, no matter what it sounds like.
The night of May 11 to 12. Derrick Lewis – Rodrigo Nascimento
Former UFC heavyweight title contender Derrick Lewis will headline the organization’s next tournament. He will compete in the main event of the UFC tournament in St. Louis, and his opponent will be Brazilian Rodrigo Nascimento, who has only one loss in his career and is on a three-game winning streak. Lewis hasn’t been in the title race for a long time, but he knows how to give people brilliant fights, brilliant finishes and brilliant celebrations, so we all have the right to expect another great performance from the American.
The night of May 11 to 12. Vyacheslav Borshchev – Chase Cooper
Russian fighter Vyacheslav Borshchev will perform on the preliminary card of the UFC tournament in St. Louis. Vyacheslav has two fights in the best league in the world; In his debut he defeated Maheshat Haysaer, but in November 2023 he drew with Nazim Sadikhov. By the way, after the fight the fighters performed a joint lezginka in the octagon, which caused a storm of emotions among the spectators. Where Borshchev is, there is spectacle, and now Vyacheslav will have to fight Chase Cooper.
Vyacheslav Borshchev (right)
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
May 12. Vasili Lomachenko – George Kambosos
The legendary Vasily Lomachenko returns to the professional ring. A year ago, the Ukrainian gave a more than competitive fight to Devin Haney, after which there was a lot of talk that Lomachenko had been robbed. Vasily lost in the fight for the title of absolute world lightweight champion, but a year later he had another title opportunity. Now the Ukrainian will perform in Australia, homeland of his rival, George Kambosos, former absolute world champion. Haney vacated all of his titles and moved to another category, and Vasily and George will fight for the vacant IBF world champion belt. For Lomachenko, this is a great opportunity to regain the championship title and claim a rematch with Haney, who recently lost to Ryan Garcia.
Lomachenko is not the first to be “robbed” in Las Vegas:
“Welcome to Las Vegas.” How the boxers of the former USSR were “stolen” in Sin City
May 12. Imam Khataev – Richard Bolotnik
Imam Khataev, bronze medalist of the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2023 World Championships, continues to develop his professional career. Khataev had the opportunity to compete on the tournament card, which will be headed by Vasily Lomachenko. In Australia, Imam will fight Latvian Richard Bolotnik. Khataev remains an undefeated boxer in the professional ring, with six early victories under his belt. Bolotnik is a more experienced professional boxer, with more than 20 fights under his belt, including with famous boxers. Therefore, for Khataev, a fight with such a serious opponent and in a large arena will be a real test.
