How to get into the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship): rules, weight categories. CrossFit program for MMA fighters Basic fighting strategies

UFC contract this moment signed by 35 Russian fighters. Several dozen more would like to sign it. Match TV asks how to do this.

From 1993 to 2012, five fighters from Russia managed to compete in the UFC, who had 17 fights between them (9 of them were Oleg Taktarov). From 2012 to the present, 46 fighters representing Russia have entered the Octagon. The first in the new era was Khabib Nurmagomedov (debut on January 20, 2012), in the same year Rustam Khabilov and Azamat Gashimov fought. After this, Russians began to sign contracts with the UFC much more often.

Khabib’s contract was negotiated by his close friend Eldar Eldarov with manager Sam Cardan (real name Shamil Kardanov - Match TV), and Cardan with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.

Since 2016, Joe Silva has not worked for the UFC, and even earlier, Khabib Nurmagomedov began collaborating with the tandem of managers Rizvan Magomedov and Ali Abdelaziz, considered one of the most influential in the UFC. Abdelaziz and Magmoedov manage the affairs of most fighters from Russia; Sayat Abdrakhmanov is considered the second in the number of signed Russians. Several more fighters from Russia are managed by managers with fewer athletes under contracts. At the same time as more and more fighters from Russia enter into agreements with the UFC, stories of someone who failed to get into the organization begin to sound more acute.

Sayat Abdrakhmanov - about the lack of clear criteria

Story: Abdrakhmanov manages the affairs of more than ten fighters signed in the UFC, Petr Yan (No. 4 in the bantamweight ranking) works with him, and the manager himself simultaneously collaborates with the Tiger gym in Thailand.

Nowadays it’s much easier to sign up: there are more tournaments, the geography is expanding, the UFC is interested in new fighters. And there is no clear criterion with which you will definitely be accepted. The advantages remain an undefeated record, spectacular victories, and the ability to somehow stand out. There are many fighters, and other things being equal, they will choose the one who is media, who speaks English, and who has no problems obtaining a visa. Plus, doping tests are a very relevant issue for the Russian market. IN Russian organizations there are none, and accordingly, not all fighters can enter the UFC on short notice in order to immediately pass clean tests.

Statistics 20-0 does not guarantee anything, and, on the contrary, there are examples when people were signed without a record in MMA: they gave a contract to Bilal Makhov (world champion in wrestling; also, without experience in MMA, professional boxer James Toney fought in the UFC. - “Match TV”), so if you are very popular or have merit in some other sports, you can sign a contract without experience in MMA. Some fighters were signed with negative statistics and unfinished defeats; the chances in such cases are less, but there were examples.

Give us specific examples. Arman Tsarukyan has excellent statistics, but he is not the best popular fighter in Russia, and among those defeated by him there is no famous rivals, however, he receives a contract. Sergei Khandozhko with a large number of defeats in last battles- Same. Alexander Shlemenko and Eduard Vartanyan - no.

Arman Tsarukyan signed up for a certain tournament - he needed an opponent for Islam Makhachev. On short notice, there were few people willing to fight Islam. Arman was ready, stylistically and level-wise. Sergey Khandozhko - many say “UFC level or not UFC level.” If they signed you, it means you are UFC level. The UFC has its own reasons, and not every fighter is signed to become a champion (according to Match TV, Sergei Khandozhko was signed with the participation of high-ranking officials from the Krasnodar Territory, where the UFC tournament was previously planned. The approximate location and time of the event were Sochi, August 2019).

Eduard Vartanyan is UFC level as an athlete, but I guess if you want to sign with the UFC, that should be your priority and not a choice between several options. Perhaps he needs to be ready to leave on short notice, be ready to accept a reduction in his fee, but that is only if it is acceptable to him. In general, there may be a situation where a fighter will normally exist without the UFC, and the organization will live without him.

In the case of Alexander Shlemenko, as I can judge from the outside, it was important, firstly, to close the defeats that had happened before, secondly, to understand whether the UFC is ready to pay as much as he receives in Russia, thirdly, The UFC seems to have some nuances regarding doping tests for fighters who have had any problems with athletic commissions: if there were complaints against the athlete, then he can be tested for six months before being allowed to compete (Alexander Shlemenko had a trial with the California State Athletic Commission after he was accused of using illegal drugs - Match TV).

- If I have good conditions in Russia, do I have to accept a reduction in my fee when joining the UFC?

The standard fee in the UFC for a beginner is 10+10 thousand dollars, but this does not mean that you cannot get more. For example, they are ready to see how much you received before and can repeat the offer that was from the previous organization.

It is believed that because you work with Dani Rubinstein, who has an established relationship with Sean Shelby, it is easier to sign through you than through your competitors.

All managers who have more than 20 fighters in the UFC, and there are few of them, have direct contacts and built relationships with matchmakers. This is a matter of relationships, and there is no favoritism, it is a reputation that is earned over the years, which is guided by. It is important for a matchmaker that if he turns to you, you will be ready to help.

- How many people write to you asking someone to watch, someone to help?

In the direct message, requests for correspondence stopped at +99 and remain the same, although I often look through and try to respond, suddenly out of thousands of messages I come across something particularly valuable. But I have so many fighters that I have to focus on those who are currently working with me and take care of their careers. Those with whom I work already have relationships, there is trust in each other, so it is very difficult to imagine that I would start working with someone completely unfamiliar - only if one of my friends or acquaintances recommends a specific person to me .

Alexander Skaredin - why fighters refuse to wait for the UFC

Story: signed Roman Kopylov to the UFC, for a long time negotiated the signing of Nikolai Aleksakhin, but in the end Aleksakhin, continuing to work with Skaredin, signed a contract with PFL.

Matchmakers are primarily involved in signing fighters in the UFC: Mick Maynard is responsible for the middle to heavyweight, flyweight and women's weight divisions; Sean Shelby is a Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight and Welterweight. Every matchmaker in any good organization is a very busy and sought-after person. And you have to understand how you can impress him, since their window to perceive some information is very small. I believe that the UFC looks at the fighters' records and maybe highlights. If you have a 60-second video of you brilliantly knocking out your opponents, that's also a plus. But in any case, the assessment of matchmakers remains subjective, and the issue of personal relationships is quite important. For example, I have direct contact with Mick Maynard, there is good communication, he can directly say who he would like to see and what data a fighter should have, what are the chances of this or that person signing a contract. Sean Shelby is considered a slightly more honored person: he has been working in the UFC for a long time, he signed Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, and it is much more difficult to sign through him. American managers Danny Rubinstein and Jason House have good contact with him, and their fighters get into the UFC more easily.

- But you couldn’t sign Aleksakhin and he left for the PFL.

When we were trying to get a contract for Nikolai Aleksakhin, we talked with Shelby for quite a long time. At first he said “keep winning,” then he looked for some options, then we just waited, and at some point he told us in plain text: “I have a gut feeling about who needs to be signed. I signed Rhonda when they didn't know anything about her. Signed Conor when he had stronger competitors...” We realized that you can wait a very long time, and we knew that there are examples where fighters wait a year or a year and a half before they are offered to fight at least in some tournament, and we decided to see what other options are on the market. As a result, two organizations made an offer to us, one of them sent a very good contract from a financial point of view, and we signed it (at the moment Nikolai Aleksakhin is a PFL fighter. - Match TV).

If Nikolai Aleksakhin gave brighter interviews, wore nice suits and had 500 thousand subscribers?

My opinion is that, in general, matchmakers don’t care about the level of opposition, media exposure, or the number of subscribers on Instagram. I can say for sure that they are looking at some of the quickest things to understand: the record and methods of winning. About attempts to call someone from the current ones UFC fighters, to make any appeals, I have a direct verbatim quote from one of the matchmakers: “This doesn’t mean anything.” The UFC does not have a task for everyone to be media, rather, they simply provide a platform, and on it natural selection begins, and everyone can decide how it will be better for them: to become media, to insult someone, to fight spectacularly.

Once upon a time, the signing of a contract by three fighters from Russia seemed like a big step forward. Now approximately 35 Russians have contracts - is this the ceiling?

We must understand that Russian market for the UFC this is not yet the highest priority area of ​​interest. Although I would assume that a significant number will be added to the 35 fighters who are signed now, since we are objectively third after the USA and Brazil in terms of the number of professional MMA fighters. But it’s interesting that if, for example, the UFC decides to enter India, Indian fighters will also enter the UFC, although we understand that the level of Indians in MMA is still low. That is, it used to be believed that the UFC is really the absolutely best league in the world and only best athletes, but now it is obvious to everyone that this is not entirely true. I would say that about a quarter of the UFC fighters are truly top, and the rest is the same level as in other promotions. There is an example of a Russian fighter who turned the tables on not the most understandable opponents, went undefeated, and was taken. He lost the first fight. More important point, that quite a lot of Russians have signed up for the lightweight category (up to 70.3 kg), and no one has been fired yet, so it will be very difficult to get into this particular category, and partly because of this, both Edurad Vartanyan and Alexander Shabliy are still standing on the spot. It turns out that 70 kg is a very heavy weight, followed by 77.1 and 65.8 kg. It's very difficult to sign up there.

Ivan Bannikov - how Alexander Volkov got into the UFC

Story: Volkov had two defeats in Bellator, after which he closed them out with fights in M-1, signed a contract with the UFC, received main fights in tournaments three times, is in the top 6 heavyweights and performed at the very big tournament UFC in Las Vegas.

Alexander left Bellator after two split decision losses. After that, he had two fights in M-1, where he took the belt, defended it and won early in each case. In addition, the UFC was hungry for heavyweights, so we signed the contract without any problems.

- When and how did you start communicating with people from the UFC?

In February 2016, Alexander became the M-1 champion, was preparing to defend the belt, and around that moment we talked with people from the UFC. In America, we have good relations with the Black House club, our friend, agent Ed Soares, works there. He helped us arrange a personal meeting with the matchmakers, and after that we already had a good business relationship. Now we can communicate with matchmakers: Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, and on some global issues we can contact Dana White.

- At the same time, many people have a question, why can’t Edurad Vartanyan, who collaborates with you, get into the UFC?

Nothing prevents Eduard from signing, except for certain bureaucratic processes associated with both the UFC and the league where he competes. I hope we will see Eduard in the UFC in the near future, it’s a matter of a couple of months. There are also several more fighters in Strela who may end up there in the near future, we just have plans to make sure that they come to the UFC to win and not lose.

Kirill Timofeev - how to get a lot of money under a new contract

Story: Nikita Krylov was signed to the UFC back in 2013, after which he changed weight categories, began representing Russia rather than Ukraine in the promotion, left the UFC, had four fights in other organizations and, upon returning, signed a contract under which he received 80 thousand dollars per entering the battle and the same for victory.

From the moment Nikita left the UFC, we already understood that he would return there. At the same time, I became his manager and at first I simply asked my friends how I could get in touch with one of the matchmakers. While they were telling me “I’ll ask the guy who knows exactly who to ask,” we decided how Nikita’s career outside the UFC should be built. We assumed that he would have 3-4 fights, set dates and started performing at Fight Nights.

And then Kamil Gadzhiev gave me some pretty valuable advice, he suggested just emailing Mick Maynard and discussing Nikitin’s contract with him directly.

I found a contact, wrote, and he responded. We started discussing the contract. The fact that Nikita had already fought in the UFC had an influence, plus at the rumor level we were told that the UFC seemed to be interested in him too. I wrote a letter and they responded to me quite quickly. A discussion of the terms began: we bargained about money and initially asked for a little more than what we were ultimately offered. The promotion was not satisfied with these conditions, we were asked to move a little, we made some concessions and eventually came to an agreement. The most interesting thing is that we corresponded almost exclusively by mail and in the end they simply sent us a contract, we signed it and sent it.

Good day, dear editors of BroDude magazine! I’ve been reading you regularly throughout the year and sincerely admire your advice and articles: everything is clear, to the point and for men. Thank you, I wish you further prosperity and development.

I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 21 years old, I completed my 3rd year at university, and now I work as an electrical mechanic at a factory as part of my industrial practice in a village that is far from the city where I live.

And although I have a girlfriend, I feel that I am terribly complex and insecure. Sometimes even local teenagers here don’t have the courage to put them in their place in the event of a verbal altercation. That is, I decided first of all to overcome the fear of getting hit in the face. After reading one of your articles on MMA, as well as on the advice of my grandfather (at 69 years old, he is a very trained and smart man), I decided to take up mixed martial arts in September. However, there are difficulties with this. My height is 198 centimeters and my weight is only 76 kilograms. I also have bronchial asthma, but since I used to do ballroom dancing, my lungs are more adapted to cardio training than those of an ordinary asthmatic. Accordingly, my weak points are my knees and spine. Since during MMA training there will be a lot of throws and all sorts of different loads on my joints, I would like to prepare my body for such loads as much as possible in a month and not literally “break” in the first classes. So that, if not trained, then at least in good shape by the beginning of September. I'm currently in my fifth week of training pull-ups and squats on one day and push-ups and sit-ups on another day. And so six days a week. Now I can do pull-ups with fresh strength about 10-12 times, push-ups about 35-40 times, and 12-14 times on the parallel bars. Also, after analyzing information on the Internet, I learned that training in the gym is similar to CrossFit.

In this connection, a reasonable question arises: what training program should I choose to prepare for MMA, taking into account my physical features and considering that I train without gym?
Thank you for your attention, dear editors! Best regards, Dmitry.

Answer

Hello, Dmitry! Please accept our repeated “Thank you!” for positive words addressed to the magazine. Continue reading us, and we, in turn, will try to keep up the brand and will continue to supply you and our other readers with interesting materials. And it’s especially nice that one of our articles, along with your grandfather, inspired you to take up martial arts. It’s not in vain that we write them. And by the way, hello to grandpa!

The pleasantries are over, so let's move on to answering your question. Let’s make a reservation right away that, no matter what advice we give you here, before you start training, it’s better to consult your doctor. We are incompetent to give advice in the field of medicine, and since you have certain health problems, you need to know how certain types of stress correspond to your capabilities. Moreover, our advice is general in nature and aimed at those who are able to withstand basic loads.

Fighters do have a specific training program, which is designed to develop those physical indicators, which are applicable in martial arts. In principle, you are already doing some of them. Pull-ups and push-ups are universal exercises and are suitable for people with different sports goals, including fighters. By the way, you wrote that you work out 6 days a week, that is, almost every day. We believe that you remember that you need to alternate the muscle groups that you apply the load on, especially if this load increases.

In general, you are right: power training fighters are reminiscent of CrossFit classes. They are distinguished by high intensity and versatility. For a fighter, both muscle strength and endurance are equally important, and therefore he strives for comprehensive development of the body, which will include both strength exercises, and cardio. But we remember your main condition: you want to train at home, not in the gym. This is possible, but for effective training You will still have to purchase some equipment.

You said you were doing push-ups and pull-ups. This is good. You can also add (if you haven’t done this before) dips. In general, for martial arts, especially those involving striking techniques, strength exercises on the arms, performed in a “jerk” manner, are very important. This creates a certain imitation of the blow and has a positive effect on both its strength and speed. That is why we recommend that you buy small dumbbells (1-2 kg) and practice “shadow boxing” with them. This way you will kill two birds with one stone, even three: firstly, you will hone the plasticity of fighting in a standing position; secondly, you will increase the power potential of your strike; and thirdly, it is good for your endurance. You can do rounds of 1 minute each, working at a high tempo with a 30 second break, or do 3 minutes per round in a fighting stance. The rhythm may be less, but then try to follow the technique of strikes, simulating a real fight. In this case, the rest should also be at least 1 minute. And we repeat that these tips apply to people without health restrictions.

You can also purchase a rubber shock absorber with a handle. With it you can perform hand exercises that can qualitatively improve percussion technique. This shock absorber is easy to use: just tie one end of it to a stable support and you are ready to work. The main thing is that when practicing strikes with him, you follow the technique and the required amplitude.

Another item that can greatly diversify your workouts is a barbell plate. Moreover, it is not necessary to buy the bar itself. Choose the size of the pancake based on your physical characteristics. Considering your weight, we recommend that you take a projectile weighing 10-15 kg. Here are some exercises you can do with a weight plate:

1) Hold the plate at arm's length directly in front of you at chest level. With sharp movements, press him towards you and push him forward again to the original position. Do this without stopping for 30-40 seconds. The main thing is to try to maintain maximum tempo and fully straighten your arms during the push. This exercise is very useful for developing punching power.

2) Take the plate with both hands and move it around your head 360 degrees so that the rotation occurs due to the movement of your shoulders. This will strengthen the muscles of the arms and shoulders and will be very useful for wrestling.

3) Press the pancake to your body, clasping it with both hands, and move around the room, all the time moving on your feet. The essence of this exercise is constant movement, as if during a fight. This way you will improve your footwork and endurance, which are very necessary when working in a stand-up position.

In general, a training program for fighters can include many more exercises. We only briefly talked about some of them, which can be performed outside the walls of the hall without a large amount of equipment. This also includes abdominal exercises (again, with the use of a pancake, their effectiveness will only increase). Don't forget about cardio training. Good old running and jumping rope have not been canceled.

In the last article, we started talking about MMA fighters who came to this sport from football. But still, what is about football for the participants of the companies themselves, what happens to them when they get a permanent job and family, at what age does the movement allow them to retire, and what can they count on with such baggage behind them?

With these and other questions, I came to the founder of the mixed martial arts club SCH Arnold. Why to him? You'll find out soon.

- Hello Arnold, when I just started writing about football and MMA, I expected to limit myself to only one article, but it turned out that Lacoste (the hero of the first article) directed me to you and said that it is more interesting about companies than you and the Swede (about this I will write to the guy in the third part of our football-related series of articles) no one can tell me.

- (smiles) Lacoste embellished it, but I’ll tell you what I know.

- First, tell me a few words about your current activities.

Today I work in the SECH club, I am its leader together with Nikolai Dedik. My responsibilities include establishing communication with various promotions and sponsors for SECHI fighters, as well as developing the club. I also organize tournaments, both local and large, where our fighters can compete.

- Since you yourself touched on this topic, tell me, is it possible to work with sponsors in Russia?

It works, but with varying degrees of success, and I’m not the most diplomatic person: those who are ready to help usually love attention and want to drink “tea” with them for a long time, go to parties with them, but I don’t have any time for that , no desire. In addition, sponsors, as a rule, come when you already have a name. So another vector of my activity is working on the media coverage of the club.

- And tell us what tournaments and how many.

We have held quite a large number of tournaments, the ones that are well-known: the Colosseum, Sich, Peresvet, the tournament in memory of special forces soldiers, which recently took place in Crimea.

- Now that it has become clear to the readers who is sitting opposite me, let’s get down to the main topic - football in MMA, and for this let’s go back a little to your past. Tell us how you got into the football crowd.

I myself was born in Rostov, but it so happened that in the 2000s I decided to move and settle in St. Petersburg. And it so happened that my social circle overlapped a lot with football people, then everyone I knew was in Gremlins. In 2006, “Gremlins” as a collective ceased to be a combat unit, so the entire most active part of the company at that time, let’s say, grew into something more. Well, they took me with them. What’s remarkable is that I didn’t even think about sports back then, but the longer I was at the company, the more I trained.

- Where did your battles with other companies take place?

By that time the police had a good understanding of who they were football hooligans, so that fights in cities began to fade away, but forest clashes, on the contrary, gained momentum. Likewise, sports became an integral part of the movements; drunken fighters were a liability, especially if sober, trained guys stood against them. So, in order to get into the company and stay in it, you had to go to the gym.

-Are you still training now?

Yes, and for this I am grateful to football. About 15 years have passed, and I still disappear into the gym every day. And all because training was a matter of survival: if you are in an organization, then you need to meet its requirements, and not trail behind, but be an example.

- That is, before joining the company you had never played sports, where did you learn to fight then?

I was raised by my stepfather. And the time of growing up fell on the dashing nineties. There was devastation everywhere, and I was also the smallest one in the yard. So I quickly forgot how to worry about being beaten. Well, then, when I got involved in football, I had an understanding of what a fight is and how to behave in it.

- Now that our readers understand who I’m talking to, I would like to return to our main topic and find out how football evolved into MMA.

I think that MMA has updated football. Gave him additional opportunities. Participants in forest battles replenished their already rich arsenal of skills. And those who wanted to grow in the sport went into MMA headlong and are now realizing their potential in the cage or ring.

- How was the SEC club itself formed?

I was the last of the founders to get there; Kolya Dedik and Vitya were at the origins of the idea. It was 2012. And the impetus for its creation, again, was football. For those who stood at the helm of their teams, it became clear that there was no point in going out into the clearing physically and functionally unprepared. So we found a room, made repairs and started training, almost immediately there were guys who wanted to try their hand at the professional field.

- Did it happen that in the gym you practiced the tactics of football fights or was it regular MMA training?

At first there was not much, but today, we only practice MMA in the gym.

- I know that you have guys training from different companies, for example Alexey Lacoste Martynov (10-6), who played for the “Gang of the Swede” and Sergey Romanov (9-1) from the “Rude Boys”, was it not on this basis conflicts and did not interfere with training?

Now the atmosphere in the hall is favorable. At first there were moments of misunderstanding, but over time they faded away, and those who were most dissatisfied are no longer with us.

- Explain to me what the ideology of football was and is, why so many young guys join its ranks?

An adventurer lives in every youth. I'm not an exception. When those around us said: “There is a world, there are boundaries,” then we, as decent anti-system activists, pushed these boundaries or tried to break them. Since childhood, I dreamed of traveling and fighting - football gave me all this. You know, you didn’t even understand where you would end up when you went out. The path around football could lead you both to prison and to the presidential administration. Besides everything, just think about what a young guy from the outskirts of Rostov could do? There were few options and most of them were not very positive.

- Does SECh somehow interact with companies now?

We interact with everyone who wants to grow and develop. In general, in adult life, football gives more negativity than positive aspects, because the media writes only negatively about it, as a result of which ignorant people perceive companies as gangster groups. And the media has a huge influence on the minds of our fellow citizens. Take the situation with Ukraine as an example. If you were not a member of the company, then it is impossible to understand how to be a member of it, and the meaning of participation is also impossible to understand. For some, football is about juvenile thugs, for others it’s fools in scarves who constantly fight, but for me it’s a school of life.

- Can football be called a kind of therapy?

- (laughs) Therapy of what? If a person is sick, then it is better for him to go to the doctor than to go to football. Fighting is not a panacea; on the contrary, you can become an even bigger fool. On the other hand, at the age of 14-18 years (the main age for joining companies - approx. 4mma) you are bursting with energy and you need to direct it somewhere, fights are an excellent and natural solution.

- Just a year ago, I read about a 16-year-old boy whose eye was knocked out during a fight in the forest, can you somehow comment on this case?

This and similar cases are on the conscience of those who invite unprepared or inadequate guys to the team. If a person is not physically ready, then he should not be taken to the clearing, the same thing if a person cannot control himself, but the fault lies with the organizer. And again, every coin has two sides, a man must know what he is getting into. I also came to the company at a young age, no one forced me, it was my personal choice, and I understood the consequences. Well, let's not forget about force majeure.

- Is Russian football similar to English football?

Definitely not with English, but with the Poles we are similar.

- Is there anything you don’t like about football?

I don’t like subculture, ostentation and the pursuit of foreign brands: fashionable clothes, pubs. Also a problem for large teams are random people who often do not understand how to behave.

- Does football have a future?

I think so, but within very strict limits, everything will be limited to the forest and far from big cities. The system doesn't need this.

- It turns out that now you are far from being around football, don’t you feel the loss?

Absolutely not, it was part of my journey, and I passed it with dignity. It doesn’t drag me back, but if the question were whether I repeated everything, then I say with confidence - yes.

- In conclusion, can you tell me a few words about the plans of your club SECH PRO?

We have grandiose plans. We are recruiting more and more young guys, and we are trying to expose our trainees to all sorts of tournaments so that they gain experience and understand what they are training for. Our team does not sit in St. Petersburg, but travels to fight throughout Russia and the CIS countries. As for organizing activities, I also organize tournaments in which our and other guys perform.

I don’t think the author should draw any conclusions at the end of the interview, so I’ll leave it to you to draw them. I will try to write the final article about near-football in MMA in the near future, and its hero will be one of the most authoritative St. Petersburg near-football players, Shved, who heads the “Schved’s Gang.”

Curly Villain especially for

Large range of equipment for professional occupation martial arts.

Today I will talk about who the most dangerous fighters and opponents on the street are, I will explain how to become the best fighter and a nightmare for any hooligan, and even for clarity, I will draw up a table for the growth of a fighter’s professionalism in martial arts, naturally the way I see it, from which it will be clear at what level of physical and psychological preparation you are at the moment and what you need to pay attention to in order to become a real master and the most dangerous opponent in a fight without rules.

So, the most important thing that I tried to explain is that martial arts will not always teach you how to fight right away; moreover, usually in the first couple of years, on the contrary, your fighting qualities deteriorate, even compared to an untrained but self-confident person.

How to become a better fighter

And the real secret to becoming a better street fighter is to, first, know a minimum of techniques, but the minimum of blows and blocks that you know should be ideally trained. Each blow was strong, fast and at least relatively accurate. So that every blow you take is dangerous, it can stop and even injure the enemy.

And your second main task as the best fighter practice these blows and your psychological reaction to an attack during combat to such automaticity that your body itself carries out the techniques and strikes you need, and you will only have to observe the consequences of your training.

Fighter training levels

And so, having this information about the advantages that a person can acquire to win a fight, we can build a table of possible levels of training for an ideal fighter:

0) A complete beginner and a complete zero in the fight. The man, who completely squeezed by social stereotypes, became their slave and hides fear and weakness behind a mask good man . Due to his thinking, he is not ready to hit or defend against the attacks of other people.

Within the framework of martial arts and self-defense, this is a clinical case when reason and beliefs have completely overcome combat reflexes, and a person has suppressed the courage and desire to fight.

1) Martial Arts Novice, who, although he has been training for 1-2 years, but on the contrary, he began to fight even worse, since his trainer forbade him to fight with his old reflexes, but he just started learning new ones, so he no longer knows how or doesn’t want to use the first one, and he still can’t use the second one.

2) Experienced and even experienced athlete, he hasn’t “really” beaten people yet, but he has fought more than once in sparring and competitions, perhaps even has many medals, knows a lot of strikes and techniques, and even how to behave in extreme situations.

But at the same time when extreme situations occur in reality, he still falls into a stupor and begins to think how to act and what to do. What will prevent him from defeating a confident and really aggressive opponent in a real fight? Because the enemy hits without thinking, but he still thinks about what to do at this moment and how to do the right thing.

How to become a street fighter

3) A true street fighter or a conscious athlete with extensive experience. Even if such a person has not studied anywhere, he uses his animal reflexes to full blast . Often during a fight he doesn’t think because he simply has nothing, and sometimes there is no need, since he has nothing special to lose. This various street punks and people who often had to fight on the street, both to beat and to be beaten.

At the same time, this person had been practicing martial arts for long enough that his basic techniques were well developed, used with full automaticity and could be performed without thinking.

Both the first and second types of third-level fighters followed their own path of how to become a street fighter, but both of them are already sufficiently prepared for a real fight. It’s just that the first street people didn’t learn anything; they simply lived by the laws of the street and trained in practice, trying to survive, while the second ones trained much more in the gym.

On the streets, naturally, the former usually start a fight, since the latter are initially smarter and more “peaceful,” but at the expense of years sports training their chances have leveled out, and now everything depends on chance and the speed of reaction of both.

4) The most dangerous fighters- these are definitely those who is able and willing, or at least can cause injury and serious injury to another.

Here, fighters are also made from those who studied martial arts purposefully and those who simply lived or are living in conditions in which this is normal or necessary.

That is, this category includes very professional fighters who perfectly know physics, medicine, pain points, weak spots joints and so on, and at the same time are ready for a fight using reflexes in any conditions. And also simply people who, due to some life circumstances, find themselves in a situation where they have nothing more to lose, for example, they have already been in prison 3-4 times and no longer want to go back.

Moreover, at this level, just as at the third, not only professional athletes and masters of hardcore martial arts styles, as well as various moderately trained psychos and thugs.

Because lately With the increasing effectiveness and availability of weapons, anyone who takes out a weapon with the clear purpose of shooting or killing(if you just got a parrot it’s closer to category 1-2), already in advance the most dangerous for your health.

After all, human life is very fragile, and such things can destroy it in one moment, regardless of social status, wealth, training and the rest.

And of course, the indisputable fact is that you should be afraid of a machine gun burst or a knife in the back no less than a super experienced martial artist. And even many masters are not immune from this.

And what can I say, if special forces burst into a room on a combat mission with machine guns and a finger on a hook, then even the most experienced and most dangerous fighter is better off strategically hiding, lying on the floor with his hands behind his head.

Naturally, a real martial artist can kill a couple of people in such a situation, but this is still not justified from the standpoint of subsequent survival.

In fact, in practice, it doesn’t even make much difference to learn how to hit with a knife or also rip open the enemy’s belly, but with bare fingers. The only downside is that you can’t carry a knife everywhere, your knife may be knocked out, or even worse, this time you will forget it at home, which is why even today aggressive, tough and effective martial arts do not completely lose their relevance.

Wise fighters and great masters

5) The last category of development of fighting skills is not very relevant to the conversation now, and what should we mere mortals talk about it, since it includes really real wise martial arts masters . The best sages, psychologists, monks, enlightened people and similar people whom you will not meet by chance on the street, and even more so they will not attack you in the gateway.

These people have not fought with anyone for a long time, do not compete for medals, do not prove anything to anyone. Wise fighters work primarily to expand their consciousness, understanding and awareness, and not on improving fighting techniques, but at the same time, the likelihood that someone will decide to fight with them is reduced to almost absolute zero.

The chosen one is destined to become such a person, and the vast majority of martial arts, and even more so sports sections they don’t teach people up to this level and don’t know anything about such people at all, so we’ll talk about these people last.

These are actually all the main options for people you can meet during street fight without rules and in the world of martial arts in general.

I hope this list has raised your understanding of how and what kind of fighter you can or want to become in the future, and what kind of fighter you already are at the moment.

And the most interesting thing is that all types of modern and traditional martial arts strive to raise a fighter of exactly the category that they themselves consider ideal. Moreover, almost every martial arts do not agree on what this mythical ideal fighter should be like and how exactly one can become one.

In fact, the money for the Russian (and global) world of mixed martial arts is colossal. For comparison, the great fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who won 24 victories in 24 fights, received significantly less for his last fight - .

All professional fighters in Russia can be divided into three conditional categories, the president of Fight Nights Global told Life Kamil Gadzhiev. - It is clear that everyone’s earnings are irregular, so for the convenience of calculations we will take their total annual income and divide by 12.

There are about 5 thousand professional fighters in Russia. The elite includes about 30 people. We at Fight Nights have 10. Their average monthly income, which includes fees for fights, income from sponsors, and advertising on social networks, is about a million rubles. As I already said, there are very few such professionals - less than one percent.

Well, the rest are young guys who are just taking their first steps in professional sports. They often combine martial arts training with studying at universities or colleges. Fight clubs they are fully provided with training. Plus, sometimes they also receive scholarships worth thousands of 30–40 rubles - this is only enough for proper nutrition. The guys are working for the future.

- How much do fighters get for a specific fight?

Everything here is very individual. For beginner fighters, the average “bet” is about one hundred thousand. Well, superstar fees can amount to millions. Rubles, of course. Well, the same Diego Brandao received 70 thousand dollars for winning the main fight of Fight Nights 58 in Kaspiysk over Murad Machaev.

Some journalists consider Khabib Nurmagomedov the most popular Russian athlete. Well, what if we compare the level of popularity of mixed martial arts and other sports in general?

For the average person, the most appropriate thing would be to compare the MMA industry with the boxing industry. There really is a lot in common. The main difference is age. Mixed martial arts, as a sport with clear rules, originated in America just 20 years ago. And, of course, although the popularity of MMA has grown very much, it still remains a mystery to many. There are a lot of stupid stereotypes...

- Which is the most common?

The fact that MMA is fighting without rules. The world of mixed martial arts is actually very clearly regulated. The leader, of course, is the UFC company, which was originally created simply as a kind of league, the purpose of which was to find out which martial arts were the coolest. Well, remember the numerous Hollywood action films with a similar plot - when karatekas, sumo wrestlers and boxers in some monastery at a closed tournament reveal the strongest. So the idea of ​​the UFC was something like this. But gradually all this developed into a very popular sports and social phenomenon, firmly established on American TV.

The last fight of Fedor Emelianenko - with Fabio Maldonado - simply broke the ratings. About 8 million Russians watched the fight live!

Plus we showed this fight in 26 more countries. Both our company and everyone who broadcasted made money from this project. Fight Nights ultimately received about 20 million rubles from the sale of these rights... And our partners from Match TV probably didn’t lose out - as did the UFC Fight Pass channel, which provided broadcasting on North America. In the USA, 3 million people watched the fight.

In general, I would like to note that the role of Fedor and the MMA Union he heads in the development of interest in martial arts in Russia is very great.

Well, the average Fight Nights event - usually the interest in it is 20 percent of the figures that I gave for the Emelianenko fight. We hold about 15 “events” a year.

- How many people in Russia are involved in martial arts?

A lot - 5.5 million people. That is, about 3% of the total population of the country. Moreover, not only men, but also women are actively involved in this industry. In general, we can safely say that now MMA in Russia is truly fashionable.

- How are these fashions and engagement monetized?

Earnings rest on three pillars. Sale of television rights, tickets and sponsorship packages. All three of these areas are actively developing.

You need to understand: in Russia, the activities of a promotion company are carried out in two global areas - sports itself and PR. We can say that now is a period of investment - we need martial arts to become truly recognizable in the country. Well, plus there are some specific regions in which, due to the general level of income of the population, it is very difficult to organize a fight night in a plus. Take the Fight Nights 58 that recently took place in Kaspiysk - we had no goal at all to make money there.

- And how much did you spend?

20 million rubles. Of course, a significant part of this amount was recovered, but in fact the event still went into the red. Actually, this was known from the beginning.

The cost of standard tickets to the Aliyev Palace of Culture was 500 rubles. Well, there were, of course, VIP seats directly next to the cage for 3-5 thousand rubles - but still it was impossible to make much money from ticket sales. Nevertheless, Dagestan remains one of our priority areas of activity. Everyone recognizes that in terms of the number of talented fighters, this is a leader not only in Russia, but also in the world. Martial arts are madly loved here; the 8,000-seat hall is always packed. Finally, this is my Motherland... In general, not everything can and should be measured in money. We have a place to make money, and we ended 2016 with good profits.

- You said about three directions. If as a percentage, how much does each of them bring?

In Russia the situation is approximately this: 20% are TV rights, 20% are tickets and 60% are sponsorship packages. Over the years, this ratio will, of course, change towards an increase in the first two components. In America, for example, this distribution looks like this: 60% - TV rights, 20% each - tickets and sponsors. That is, the whole concept is based primarily on TV. Plus, the pay-per-view system of paid broadcasts is successfully operating in the United States. For one single fight night, the cost of a show using this system alone can reach $50 million.

The topic of how is already stuck in the teeth. And in Russia, how quickly can a fighter who goes undefeated qualify for championship title? How transparent and understandable is this system?

It is clear that the task of any promotion company is first and foremost to make money, and not to “fairly” identify the coolest champion. And it is not surprising that the UFC is trying to “protect” McGregor and other fighters who show good ratings.

In Russia, in fact, it’s the same story. Professional fighting is not Olympic Games, where in theory anyone can become a champion. At the same time, of course, any quality fighter will definitely be noticed and eventually brought to a title fight.

- Well, how many fights does a guy from the “third category” need to win in order to fight for the Fight Nights belt?

Usually in his early 20s there is a partial transition from amateurs to professionals, that is, for some time the guy continues to combine conditional Combat Sambo And mixed martial arts. Well, at the age of 25 he already makes his final choice - either to give up sports altogether, or to turn professional. By this point, he usually has 3–4 professional fight. Then he fights about once every 3-4 months. And by the age of 30 - that is, the peak age for MMA training - he has accumulated a serious history of about 20 fights.

Then - with a certain amount of luck, of course - he has a chance to title fight. Another thing is that if a guy doesn’t lose at all, of course, he will get his chance much earlier.

- IN Soviet time in many sports, at 30 they were already sent to “retirement”. And you say - peak.

Because people in the USSR played football or hockey since childhood. And months of training took place from a young age. And in the standard story of an MMA fighter that I described, a person becomes a professional not at 17, not at 20, but at 25. And in general, at the legislative level, mixed martial arts in childhood prohibited. That is, the effect of “iron fatigue” does not affect a person for a long time.

Although, of course, there are nuggets like Nurmagomedov, who are revealed much earlier (he is now 28. - Note Life). Well, he started earlier than many. His dad is, so Khabib was “doomed” to a career as a martial artist from childhood.

What sport, according to statistics, do people most often come to MMA from? And which of them are usually the most successful - wrestlers, sambo wrestlers, boxers?

50% come from wrestling - in its various variations, including classical and Greco-Roman, combat sambo, pankration, judo and jiu-jitsu. 30% - from boxing. And 20% remains for all other sports, including, for example, football. Yes, yes, guys come from there too. There is an opinion that MMA coaches are more willing to take on fighters - but in fact, today all boundaries have been erased. And from good boxer It’s also quite possible to train a great mixed martial arts master. In many ways, by the way, the “drummers” get their chance due to the fact that the audience loves them much more.

In the 90s, almost all members of gangster groups practiced karate and other martial arts. How much does the MMA industry now contribute to the criminal environment?

This is still another stereotype that is gradually being eroded. Yes, 25 years ago in the country people survived as best they could. But now the situation in Russia has changed. As such, there are almost no gangs left - well, or, in any case, they have become ten times smaller. If in the 90s many people really dreamed of becoming racketeers as children, now the trends have changed, young people think first of all about a good education. And the guys who are now involved in martial arts - they, for the most part, also try to combine training with study. Nowadays, a martial artist is not a bandit in a Chinese tracksuit or the hero of the joke “I also eat there.” This is a modern, smart guy with the right life values, a role model for his peers. The same Nurmagomedov now speaks fluently in English...

- How traumatic are mixed martial arts? Compared to the same box?

Of course, the risk of injury is always present. But there are definitely no more of them than in boxing. And much less than in football! And the number of fatal tragedies can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And each of them becomes the subject of comprehensive study and analysis.

There are a huge number of preventive health measures being carried out in our industry today. And the athletes themselves are accustomed to constantly monitoring their own health.

How relevant is the topic of doping in Russian MMA? After all, many tournaments do not even have a doping control system.

Sample collection is now carried out by foreign laboratories, since RUSADA is not working at the moment. The procedure itself is standard. But you are right that its use is not yet properly regulated. Within a year, the system of sanctions and punishments will be clearly spelled out.

In fact, now, in the age of the Internet and instant dissemination of information, the problem of doping is no longer so acute. If earlier many were confident in its omnipotence, now, especially after learning about fatal cases in the past and the year before, athletes are thinking more about the dangers associated with its use. Everyone has already learned how to work with proper diets and appropriate supportive pharmacology.

MMA has a chance to be included in Olympic program? And in general, is such a turn of development of this sport interesting for promotion companies and the athletes themselves?

May the sports functionaries of Russia and the world forgive me, but I assess these prospects as miserable. Still, not too many countries are involved in this industry at the competitive level. Well, as I already said, there are still plenty of negative stereotypes. And in Olympic movement very careful people work.

This fight will be very revealing in the sense that it will show whether Fedor is ready to fight again on high level. Still, the fight with Maldonado did not answer many questions. And now there is a chance to remove these questions.

- Are there any options in which Fight Nights organizes the fight of Alexander Emelianenko, who recently came out of prison?

Sasha is a person with whom there are organizational problems! Nevertheless, nothing can be ruled out. He is, of course, a very talented athlete, but his prospects are constantly shattered by some social sharp corners. And now he is no longer 20 years old, it is much more difficult to get together and conduct thorough preparations for a fight.

I sincerely wish both Fedor and Alexander good luck. And, of course, I really hope that Nurmagomedov will win in the fight with Tony Ferguson. If he wins, his fight with McGregor this year will become inevitable.