– Vlad, tell us about your participation in the promotion project “Our Business”
It’s a reality show The Way of the Fighter. Initially, the idea came to Artur Harutyunyan. With this project, he has come a long way, and now this idea has crystallized into the resulting product. On December 14, the first episode of the reality show was released on RUTUBE. In this program, I was one of the hosts, Artur Harutyunyan and the beautiful Olga Petrikova worked with me. Everything turned out great, this is the first time I have come across so many swear words. The guys came like hell, all from different regions of Russia, but with fighting experience.
How do you rate your level?
– He is different, there is a two-time Russian champion in karate, hand in hand. Everyone has an amateur level.
– What is the meaning of the show?
– In each series, one participant is eliminated. At first there are 20, then there will be 10 and in each series one more will be eliminated. The participants will have many tests, not only sports, but also psychological, acting. This is not only a sport, but also an entertainment. If there were no bad words, then this project could safely claim the TNT channel. I laughed, but this is Dom-2, only with male fighters who understand that this is a social lift for them. The winner of the reality show will receive 5 million rubles. Imagine where else a guy from the region can earn that kind of money? Maybe of course Basta will tell us?
Photo source: Vladislav Demin’s social network
– In MMA there is a negative trend towards our athletes, the PFL pulled our guys from Grand Prix, canceled the broadcasts for us and then realized that no one else was watching them and sent them back. BELLATOR was also banned from broadcasting, going out with the Russian flag, and now Ankalaev has been sued in the UFC, how do you assess the whole situation?
– I’ll start with Ankalaev, they say that he was sued or robbed. I watched an interview with Kamil Gadzhiev and he said that he agreed that Ankalaev was sued, but not robbed.
Dana White, realizing that this fight is boring (he said so himself) and unpromising in terms of monetization, has the right not to give victory to a fighter who has not shown all his strengths.
Let’s take Wolf Khan, now I’m talking about the Dagestanis, who can clearly vouch for their words to their compatriots, this is very important. Wolf Khan says that he knows Ankalaev, he sees in him an incredible level of an intellectual fighter, but what he did in the championship fight, he did nothing! I think he knows what he’s talking about.
This decision is dictated solely by money. Dana White is not about politics.
– I told Ankalaev for many years that he should be more active in the media, but he did not …
Vlad Demin and Magomed Ankalaev. Photo credit: Vladislav Demin’s social network
“You can’t fix a person, but why wait for an apple tree to bring a pear?” Magomed Ankalaev is a very educated and interesting guy, I like him precisely for this reason. He has very intellectual fights, but they are not brilliant, like Fedor Emelianenko. The MMA industry is a spectacle that requires brilliant and uncompromising fights.
It turns out so. Ankalaev deserved a title fight. I think he won it. Yes, not spectacular, but strategically correct.
– Whats Next? Revenge?
White said there is no rematch. Others will play it, he said he gave himself the chance, but they didn’t take advantage of it. They did not live up to his financial expectations. Ankalaev will continue to win the title from him. We need more spectacular fights and early finishes. He will not become a media player, he is a very psychologically stable athlete. He won’t trade for the UFC.
— Evaluate the Russian MMA in the current period
A kind of stagnation. Professional MMA leaned towards pop MMA. It all goes to the show. Fedor Emelianenko made MMA an official sport, now it’s becoming MMA again, individual promoters are changing the rules. Everything comes back and falls into the well. There is no control.
– It is clear that sport is outside of politics, they told us so. Should athletes get involved in politics, express their opinion?
– No one is forced to do anything. If there is an inner need, a desire to announce one’s position, then it should be done and not look at anyone. If not, then no. You have to be yourself, you don’t have to force yourself. Did not endure, do not give birth. If you want, talk. After the fight, before the fight, it doesn’t matter. There must be support under the position, it must be justified.
– Don’t you think you need to create your own?
– Maybe. The sport goes that way. We need someone to compete with. We need a competitive aspect. Very slowly, but we will return to the big sport.
We have been isolated. Now we need to find allied states. We need to find an opponent, not even an opponent, but a sparring partner.
