Timur Nagibin is a Russian RCC fighter in the featherweight division. Now Timur is preparing for the next fight, his opponent will be Artur Zainukov. The fighter told us if he had negotiations with the ACA, and explained in which case it makes sense for him to go to the UFC. In addition, Nagibin appreciated the success of his colleague Ivan Shtyrkov in kickboxing, made a bold prediction of a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski, and also admitted that he would like to have a fistfight.
– Let’s talk a little about your last fight with Ronnie Torres. He turned out to be quite nervous, did he observe it, did he analyze it?He looked, of course. I often watch my fights. Of course, a tough fight, the opponent has 50 fights, 45 wins in them. And he too lost only to the strong. Moreover, the man did not make 5-6 kilograms, you understand how much he weighed in battle. I am a person who does not carry much weight, in principle I am ready to go out on Saturday if they say. I only need to shed 4-5 kilograms. So it was difficult, not from a technical point of view, but from a physical one. It was just bigger, that’s all. I managed to cope, I have such a moment: when something doesn’t work out, I just turn on the “dirty” box, we quarrel.
“Usually you fight often, even here it has been less than six months since the last fight. Why so simple? Could it have been released earlier or was it specially prepared for Tyumen?– No, I was generally ready even after that tournament. I came out of there with virtually no injuries, well, bruises, one other thing. In principle I was ready to go out in May, but I couldn’t perform, there were no rivals. Transferred, roughly speaking, to Tyumen. I even benefited, got some rest, healed some of my wounds, put my body in order.
Timur Nagibin
Photo: vk.com/rcc_mma
– One gets the feeling that you and Alexei Kunchenko are fighters under the Tyumen leadership of the RCC. Do you like it?– I can’t say that I’m getting high on this, but it’s actually good, we’ll be recognized. In fact, I’m not very well known in Tyumen because I don’t really go to events, even when invited. Therefore, it is not wrong for me and Alexei to show my name. The only thing is that friends and family are all watching, it’s a big responsibility, otherwise everything is fine.
– You said a lot that you were ready to fly to the UFC, then you talked about One FC. Do those goals and objectives hold up, especially since so many of your peers are fighting in the same One?– Many people ask, I really don’t mind fighting, with someone who measures my strength, but there is a time when there are drawbacks in little things. There, for example, your contract terms, your fees, which, for example, may not suit me. Why should I go there, for what? Is there any promising future? If there is no perspective, then it makes sense for me to play One FC or UFC. Let’s say the UFC offers a small contract, but you have a future, and if you win and show yourself, then you will have good fees and you will fight good fighters. If not, what’s the point of going there? Just like that, right? So I’d rather sit here, fight, please my people, if you will, my audience, my people, my team.
– There are many rumors that they want to introduce seatbelts in the RCC. Will this be additional motivation for you or are you already a superstar like Vanya Shtyrkov?“I never aspired to be a superstar. We just fight, we find out who is the best. I have no resentment towards anyone I fought with, even if I lost. If you have any questions, I have already asked them. They just fought, shook hands, left. Nothing will change with the belt. The only thing is, with the introduction of the belt, I was able to participate in fights that I would never have entered without this belt.
– Against weaker opponents?Not so weak, no. It means that the belt is what we are going to do. The usual fight is that we fight for money, in my head it is like that. With some acquaintances, friends, I am not going to fight like that, for money. I am not a petty person and have never been greedy. But if gold is at stake, for which we are all fighting, of course, I can go out, why not. I think everyone will agree. Sure I won’t go out against some people, but if the belt is vacant, I’m open to offers.
– Can you tell me something about Arthur (Zainukov. – Approx. “Championship”), with whom you will fight?— A strong opponent, indeed. A worthy fighter, I have been watching him for a long time, I have been watching him for a long time. In general, in principle, I follow many fighters, I liked their fights. It would be interesting to see how our fight goes. Nothing personal, good boy, we have a lot of mutual friends, but fate has unfolded for us to meet in a cage. I hope we fight with dignity, let’s shake hands.
— How do you rate ASA? I heard you got offers from there. Is it true or not, and if so, why didn’t you accept it?– Well, as proposals, there were moments in which you could subscribe. In general, very good boys work in the ACA league, good men, they help, everything is always cultural. As if you could subscribe, just a little through other people, let’s say, they misunderstood. I also feel discomfort that we do not speak personally, but soon a friend (Pavel Gordeev. – Approx. “Championship”) will fight, I will come to the tournament. Maybe I’ll personally talk to Aslanbek Badaev and the rest of the guys. No matter how embarrassing there is between us, but the omissions turned out. In general, I think that the ASA league is one of the strongest in Russia. To be honest, some of the best fighters hang out there, so I watch all the ACA tournaments, I’m interested. There are competitive fights.
Timur Nagibin
Photo: vk.com/rcc_mma
– There is a feeling that his friend Pasha Gordeev in the ASA, as it were, was reset, as Shtyrkov did in his time.– Well, yes, I agree with that. Why do I agree? Because Pasha himself fought here, he had tough fights with opponents who were not on the same level as him now. In my opinion, his rivals here were not even lower level, but lower media level. And now he has arrived at the ASA, where the level is high, and the media coverage is good, and you see how it showed. He’s just a hard worker, many people underestimate him. We have been training together for a long time, performing, I know that Pasha is a fighter who never gives up. All his fights are interesting, as a spectator I like to watch them.
– What do you think of Shtyrkov’s kickboxing debut against Romankevich?– Well done, to be honest. Vanya sets such a high bar for all of us that an MMA fighter can try himself everywhere: boxing, cameras, kickboxing. Vanya did a great job, and I think that if they had fought with small gloves, the result for him would have been even better.
— How about this new multi-contract approach from RCC where anyone can try themselves in different sports? Do you like it or not, and would you like to try something yourself?— Yes, of course, I would like to. I have been a professional since I was 17 years old, I have had many fights in different disciplines. I’m already tired, so if you fight in boxing, fist, kickboxing, I would like to have interesting opponents. And that would be interesting, of course. I would have flown to the fist once in my life, and then for the last fight, but I would have flown.
– Shlemenko also made his kickboxing debut in a fight with Enomoto. How would you rate this fight and if Shlemenko would end his career?– Well, Sasha will figure it out for himself, whether to finish his degree or not, it’s not for us to judge. As for the battle, well, they killed each other with Yasubey. He too, I will say, is not a gift. Murdered, he put on a show. It’s the kind of fight that doesn’t really carry any accountability when viewed objectively. Registration, qualifications – that’s not all. We are MMA fighters, and for us there is no big difference between boxing, kickboxing or fisting, just to please the public, ourselves with fees. For me this is a multi-contract, neither more nor less.
– Shtyrkov – Enomoto at 93 kilograms can meet, what do you think?– I would look at them at the weight of 90 kilograms, because I think that Enomoto will not agree with 93 kilograms, but maybe he will agree with 90. Therefore, I would watch a kickboxing fight at this weight, or maybe even boxing. Or kickboxing with small gloves. I think that Vanya in this format can turn off the light for many.
Timur Nagibin
Photo: vk.com/rcc_mma
– Accordingly, the question follows about a possible fight between Shtyrkov and Mineev according to the rules of kickboxing.– Vladimir is a very strong fighter, he scored a lot in Dagestan and generally has a good punch. Fight hard, I’m not going to lie. This is a big step for Vanya. If he crosses it, he will prove a lot to himself and to the people. He will show that this is not all he is capable of, but he can do even more.
– Volkanovsky – Makhachev. Does Volkanovski have a chance of revenge?– Well, I think not. Objectively, to be honest, I think not. I think the second fight will be easier than the first. It is a great delusion to believe that if he fought like this in the first fight, it means that in the second he will be even stronger. I don’t think so. Makhachev may even win the second fight ahead of schedule. Islam is an improving fighter, he will correct all the mistakes he made in that fight and come back better.
– How would you assess Tsarukyan’s champion ambitions? Is he able to pass Makhachev or do we have to wait until Islam leaves?– What to expect. Armand goes on a series of victories. Here are two sides of the coin. If you side with Islam, I’ll tell you another thing. And if you have something to say on Arman’s side, why not call him? Now is the time for him to step on the accelerator. If he misses this moment, then it will be too late. In the meantime, in a string of wins, this is going to be one of the more interesting fights. Except for the fight with Volkanovski. And it will be interesting not for the European and American public, but for the audience of the CIS, Russia. It will be interesting to watch, because two strong athletes who will fully show themselves in battle. It’s very interesting.
– Miocic-Jones championship fight, who was announced in the heavyweight division. Don’t you think that Sergei Pavlovich was just thrown?– No, why did they throw it away. Let’s interpret correctly. Pavlovich beat four or five people, right? Jon Jones, well, you know who he is yourself, a legend of the sport. Stipe Miocic was the undisputed heavyweight champion. It makes sense to fight Stipe and Jones. Pavlovich can fight more. There is such a fighter Leon Edwards. He wrestled nine or eight times to get to the waist. None of that, it’s fine.
– The last question is about Chimaev. Why do you think he rarely fights and goes the way of Zabit Magomedsharipov?– No, I do not think that Khamzat Chimaev will not leave due to injuries. They just make him a good fight with some superior opponent, give him time to prepare. Overall, I think it’s going to be a storm at middleweight. With his pressure, with his fight and faith in himself, I think he can achieve a lot. As for Zabit, he only has injuries. We have friends in common, and he has many wounds there that don’t heal. Well, there are still moments. So, I think if Zabit comes back now, then he can crunch anywhere.
