Veterans are killing Russian MMA. The young have to flee across the ocean
Sergey Sorokin August 16, 2023, 15:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Legend fights command the box office, but steal all the hype from the younger generation.
Russian mixed martial arts, especially in recent times, is rich in bright advertisements. True, most of them are related to the battles of veterans. Everyone is looking forward to Oleg Taktarov’s return to the Octagon. His opponent is Jeff Monson, who is even older. It’s hard to imagine, but two fighters are already 107 years old! Of course, it’s great to see childhood legends and enjoy the nostalgia. But the level of such events is beginning to raise questions.
Details of the next fight between Taktarov and Monson:
live
Oleg Taktarov – Jeff Monson – the first Russian UFC champion will beat the 52-year-old deputy. LIVE
Many Russian wrestlers literally cannot get out of this enclosed space and finish their careers. They just don’t see an alternative for themselves, so they continue to act. And many of these performances raise serious questions. For example, the last fights of Alexander Emelianenko left an alarming aftertaste. After the fight with Yevgeny Ershov, Phoenix was literally taken by the arms.
ACA star wrestler Artyom Reznikov expressed concern about Alexander’s health.
artem reznikov
aca wrestler
“I think this is a mistake by the organizers. This can lead to the fact that if Emelianenko dies in battle, then problems for this sport will begin. They will start asking athletes for too many certificates and medical permits. You don’t need to do this. Your heart may stop, you may miss a beat. It is dangerous to allow a person to be in such a state. If he continues in the same spirit that he does after the fight with Ismailov, I don’t think in three years he will be alive.
The health of the fighters is not the only problem that haunts Russian mixed martial arts. The level of interest in the higher leagues is falling. Of course, RCC, ACA, Hardcore and other promotions are trying to make events more interesting and invite stars. But let’s be real, most tournaments won’t attract the same audience that wants to see another fight from a fading superstar.
Each ACA tournament pleases with brilliant preliminaries, which are literally packed with knockouts. They are only seen by true fans of the league who do not miss a single game. And there are few of them. The same goes for events held by the RCC league. In the television broadcast it is clearly seen that the stands are filled only for the top fights. A preliminary card is most often carried out in complete silence.
The excitement before the fights inevitably affects the rates. Veterans in one fight get as much as a young talent can’t get even in several tournaments. Therefore, many decide and move to not the strongest foreign leagues. And Russian promotions continue to stew in their own juice. Instead of loaded and ambitious young Russians, they have to invite veteran Brazilians, instead of homegrown guys, money-seeking legionnaires.
We are talking about the next fight of Sergei Kharitonov:
The return of the parachutist. The aging Kharitonov will fight an indistinct Brazilian
Of course, it is difficult to prohibit veterans from performing at the professional level. On the contrary, his love of martial arts and desire to show off command respect. But it’s worth thinking about how to offer a real alternative that can eliminate the need for fighters to keep entering the Octagon. So the young stars will get more motivation.
