MMA Series-93: New Heavyweight and Lightweight Champions!

Hello, friends! You're watching the weekly discussion of the main news in the world of martial arts on the MMA-TV.com portal. My name is Yulia Mirey, and my co-host is Artem Novopavlovsky. Joining us are the portal's chief editor Mikhail Shinkarev and sports journalist and commentator Ruslan Gumilyov. Hi, guys!

Hello to everyone, friends!

Yes, greetings to everyone as well, and I'm glad to see Yulia, our wonderful host. So, where do we start? Today, as you might have guessed, we'll be talking in detail about the event that took place on December thirteenth at the International Boxing Center in Luzhniki, namely MMA Series ninety three. This was possibly one of the most exciting and memorable tournaments of the year. And today, I'd like to talk about the most high-profile matchups from this highly anticipated event. And the main event of the evening was the rematch between Sergey Dyakonov and Dimitry Andryushko.

Let me remind you, their first fight took place at tournament number 87 and ended with a technical knockout in the 3rd round. Back then, Sergey tore Dimitry's bicep with a strike. After that fight, Sergey ended his career, but about 1 year later, probably feeling hungry for competition, he once again shared the cage with Andryushko.

Of course, he warmed up, so to speak, with Max Topor, with whom he had a fight under special rules. But what Sergey did against Dimitry this time, I truly believe, could go down in the history of mixed martial arts. The guys fought mercilessly, with a lot of heavy, well-placed strikes. Sergey, despite his age—42 years old—looked especially after a layoff, that is really very impressive indeed. But despite this, of course, he lost to the younger, up-and-coming, as we can see, Dimitry Andryushko. And the first question I’d like to ask our experts today is related to the fact that some comments suggested Dyakonov’s layoff might have been the reason for his defeat. What do you think, could anything have changed if Dyakonov had warmed up not against Max Topor, but had another MMA fight before defending his title against Andryushko?

To begin with, I think it’s worth saying, truly, that the fight really was quite a sight to behold. I saw some really intense, powerful emotions, and the whole crowd was literally feeling it. Probably the biggest difference compared to other fights was that, at the very beginning, there was a noticeable lull. Roman Safronov and I were just quietly sharing our impressions, because it truly felt like you were in a very intimate, almost private space, and everyone was holding their breath, expecting that it could all end very quickly, since Dimitry Andryushko tends to rush forward and really knows how to do it. It was a moment filled with anticipation and suspense, and the atmosphere was truly unique. He can literally destroy his opponents in the first seconds. Sergey Dyakonov, who is someone that can truly go all in, in the very best sense of the word. In general, everything promised that it would be painful and quick. It turned out to be painful, but not very quick. The whole distance was covered. What can I say? Maybe it's a bit of a cliché, but honestly, it feels like Dmitry Andryushko was in slightly better physical shape and probably wanted it even more this time— not just to win, but his motivation seemed noticeably stronger and more intense. Because we all know very well, and it is quite clear to everyone, that when you step in as someone who has already lost before, a rematch is basically all or nothing for you, with everything truly on the line. Additionally, Sergey Dyakonov really did not have the toughest or most challenging opponent in Topor. And let's not forget, as we've mentioned, it was also his birthday. I don't think it affected his preparation in any way, but from everything I saw behind the scenes, there was this sense that yes, there would be competition, but Sergey Dyakonov would win. Most people seemed pretty confident about that. But that wasn't the case. Dmitry Andryushko did a great job closing the distance, and his punches were really good. And it really felt like he was holding himself back in the early rounds, almost as if he was making sure to save enough energy for the whole fight. Because people often said about Andryushko that he's got real dynamite in his hands, but unfortunately, his cardio is a well-known issue. So, in a way, he's the opposite of Mirab, at least in terms of stamina. But this time, it was the other way around—he really lasted, and the fight was absolutely awesome.

Yes, I completely agree with Ruslan. If we take a closer look at the bookmakers' odds, then, of course, Dyakonov was clearly the favorite at all of the betting shops. The odds for him were very low. This also brings to mind the prediction by Oleg Popov, the PFL heavyweight Grand Prix winner, who said that if Dyakonov focused on wrestling, he'd have a chance. If he tried to stand and strike with Andryushko, most likely Andryushko would win. And that's exactly what happened. And now it's really interesting to think—if Dyakonov had focused on wrestling, and he definitely has the skills, plus he trains at the Gor MMA club, It's very intriguing to imagine how the fight would have ended if Dyakonov had chosen a slightly different strategy. Walter Walker, true to his style, suggested having an extra round after the fight was over. And here, if that extra round had actually happened—let's imagine for a moment—I think Andryushko would have finished Sergey. Because it was clear that Dyakonov had taken a lot of damage. One of his eyes was already swelling shut. And of course, we want to congratulate Dmitry. He's the new champion of the league. Well deserved. Ahead of us, we might very well see a thrilling trilogy with Thiago Cardoso. Let me remind you, these two incredible fighters have already fought to a draw not just once, but twice. What more intrigue could you possibly need? A championship belt, two times, two draws. This is a huge announcement. Announcement for Russian MMA

I also want to take a moment to share my personal feelings about this fight. It was honestly quite scary to look at Sergey. Personally, in all my time working with the MMA Series, I have never seen him like this before. And remembering that Gor Azizyan, who was the person responsible for running and managing his training camp, also said himself, in his own words, that now he feels much better and healthier compared to how he felt a year ago. So, my assumption is that something significant must have happened psychologically with Sergey for him to fight in this particular way. Because Dimitry acted according to the exact same principle as he did in all his other previous fights. So basically, I honestly didn't see anything new or different. The only difference was that, in my opinion, Dyakonov didn't behave the way he usually does. And now, with regard to the wrestling. Indeed, I also clearly remembered the words of Oleg Popov, who once advised Dyakonov to wrestle. And let's also remember that we have another true heavyweight contender, Viktor Klyuev, who actually managed to defeat Andryushko—and did so through his impressive wrestling skills. So, if after Thiago... For example, if the belt stays with Andryushko, then the next fight, Klyuev will probably have to contend for the title. Do you think he'll be able to repeat his remarkable achievement and beat Andryushko again this time around?

That's a very good question, because the last time Viktor Klyuev fought was at the 90th tournament, where he unfortunately lost to Dmitry Vezhenko from the 'Shtorm' school. So, first and foremost, he needs to have a fight, and secondly, he really needs to win it. Even better if he manages to win a 2nd, or maybe even a 3rd fight. After that, only then can we say something, because right now Viktor Klyuev simply hasn't participated in any of our recent tournaments.

The championship fight in the lightweight division between Dmitry Mikhailidi and Andrey Vasilenko. The confrontation was intense and sparked a lot of controversy, as reflected in the judges' decision. And in this regard, I'd like to take a moment to discuss something—a topic we actually started talking about, or at least briefly mentioned, at the tournament with Ruslan—namely, the question of which rounds each of us would have given to whom. And maybe now, after some time has passed, we'll be able to better understand the general consensus about this decision.

I won't take the responsibility of saying exactly which round I would have given to whom. I'll put it this way: if we look at the raw statistics, at the numbers, we can see that in some aspects, Vasilenko landed more significant strikes. For example, yes, in the ground game, Mikhalidi was in control—no questions there—but Vasilenko also landed elbows: six attempts, six hits. Accordingly, because of this, some people got the impression that Vasilenko was perhaps attacking more sharply, landing more strikes. Vasilenko also had a moment when he could have gone for a Kimura, if I'm not mistaken. So, that's how it was at the beginning. After that, though, things were more under Mikhalidi's control.

"I was a bit surprised after the fight—I'll probably start from the end, from the conclusion, when... Fedor Ryzhov came out, the highly respected Fedor, and said that somehow it didn't work out, he didn't like what happened, the action. Fedor is someone whose opinion carries a lot of weight in the community, as he is well-known for his experience and fair judgment. I didn't even get a chance to discuss it with him, because in my opinion, it was actually quite good and competitive. I thought the match had a lot of positive moments, and both fighters showed impressive skill and determination throughout. Another thing is that one of them really was... let's say, elusive. That is, if we're talking specifically about Mihailidi, it should be noted that he was indeed faster

I carefully examined the official fight statistics, and now I am ready to tell you this: Vasilenko managed to land only fifteen more accurate strikes in total than Mikhaillidi did during the entire match. And that's even after taking into account Vasilenko's considerable reach and height advantage over his opponent. But as for ground control, Mikhaillidi had, attention, 100 percent. The last time I saw statistics like this was in the fight between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena. So, it's abundantly clear, at least in my experience, that the judges don't rely on statistics, but nevertheless, they show that... the dominance was total. And here’s the only moment that people really remember now—indeed, the moment when Vasilenko almost managed to catch Mikhaillidi in a Kimura, but as Dmitry later said in an interview, he just toughed it out, and he really said, 'He could have just left my arm there and taken it home with him.' It wouldn’t have mattered to me, I would have toughed it out anyway, no matter what happened. So, he got through those few seconds, purely on remarkable grit. As for the rest, well, personally, I had no questions about his dominance. And it was actually a bit unusual and somewhat strange for me to see that it was, in fact, a split decision by the judges.

Let's move on to the fight, or rather, to the thorough discussion of the fight between the first holder of the MMA Series silver and bronze belts, Jefferson Gonçalves, and Evgeny Tabarovsky. And when, exactly, did this intense rivalry between these two competitors actually begin? Well, it all started at the very beginning of this year. Back then, Gonçalves managed to secure a victory by unanimous decision, and just this past weekend, we finally witnessed the conclusion of this long-running story. It turned out to be a result that was both clear and absolutely decisive. Here, in this particular fight, it seemed that Gonçalves looked just a bit fresher and more energetic compared to Tabarovsky, even though Evgeny himself assured everyone that he wouldn't have any problems with cutting weight and, supposedly, felt absolutely fine. Now, I'm turning to our panel of experts today. Do you think the damage he took played such a significant role for Tabarovsky? Or was it still more about Jeff's better and more thorough preparation, who proved everything to both his own fans and Evgeny's fans in this fight?

In my opinion, we saw two fights, and both were spectacular. This was truly a highlight not only of the MMA Series, but of the MMA world in general. Jeff showed that he is just a little bit, or maybe even more than just a little bit, stronger and more capable as an athlete than Evgeny Tabarovsky. We followed the fighters' social media accounts closely and observed their updates. After the fight had concluded, Evgeny said in a statement that he would very much like to have a trilogy, expressing his strong desire to face Jefferson in the ring for the third time. To prepare better, to work on his mistakes. But as we can see, Jeff is simply stronger as an athlete. Thanks to his preparation, and maybe his mentality as well. I clearly remember when Jefferson first appeared in the league. He right away showed his true level. He is a very good and talented athlete who has trained not only with UFC fighters, Gor MMA, but let's not forget that many years ago he also sparred with the highly skilled Michael Page. They spent a lot of time training together in the gym in England. So, accordingly, he really is certainly an athlete of a very high level.

I completely agree with Misha on this particular point. Indeed, Jefferson has already demonstrated, not just once but twice, just how exceptionally good and talented he truly is. At least in this matchup, that's for sure. From the very first seconds, let's briefly recall what happened. In the opening seconds, he rushed forward. And I actually mentioned this before: if you look at his previous fights, more than once or twice Jefferson has acted in exactly this way. He maintains good form throughout the entire fight, but in the opening seconds, as a rule, he is especially dangerous. So he's not the kind of guy who will spend a long time watching and waiting, looking around. If he sees an opportunity, he attacks. So, what happened—in my opinion, after about 30 seconds, you could actually already say it was close to being over—in this regard, Toborovsky did well. But if we actually add together everything we've seen before, all these rounds. Here, as expected, of course, the advantage was with Goncalves. He maintained a good pace, and he was effective both as the second number and as the first. There were certainly some dangerous moments for him as well, but nevertheless, for me personally, he truly showed—if not absolute dominance—then at least that, as of today, he is clearly a class above the rest.

We filmed a reality show with the guys, spending four days together with the fighters before this bout. Both I and my film crew, after observing everything closely, agreed that Tabarovsky appeared more confident this time—he was calm, collected, and focused. It seemed to all of us that if we had been asked to place a bet, we would have all put our money on him, believing that this time the victory would definitely be his. For example, Jefferson, on the other hand, behaved in a completely opposite manner, showing a very different attitude. He was nervous, he refused to give interviews, he was hiding. Basically, he was kind of like a tightly wound string, you know? Well, he always has a lot of trouble cutting weight—it's always really hard for him, every single time. But this time, he really outdid himself in that regard. And it seemed obvious that this person was anxious, while the other was relaxed, so probably the fight would go in his favor. But everything turned out completely differently. And even compared to his previous fight, which was particularly intense and very evenly matched, here the advantage was much more obvious and clear, for Goncalves. And it seems to me that something happened to Evgeny after he really took a punch to the jaw in the very first seconds, fell to the canvas, and after that, it was as if he was in a slight daze, from which his corner managed to bring him out during the break, but it felt like he was never able to regain the upper hand.

Jefferson proved that he's ready to fight for the title again. Let's not forget that in the welterweight division, the champion is none other than Sergey Bobryshev. They've already had one fight, which was also mesmerizing. I think everything is set for a rematch.

On December 14th, Vadim Nemkov defeated Brazilian Renan Ferreira with a chokehold in the 1st round and became the new PFL heavyweight champion. After that, the Russian fighter stated that he would like to challenge one of the biggest heavyweight stars of recent years, Francis Ngannou, to a fight. Both Ngannou himself and top heavyweight Alexander Volkov have already responded to this statement. Misha, you follow these guys on social media, right? Could you please let us know what exactly they said there, if you remember?

Francis actually responded to Vadim's callout in a recent statement. He said, 'Okay, I'm waiting for this fight to happen.' Let's give it a try and see what unfolds. Furthermore, the legendary fighter Fedor Emelianenko also mentioned in some interviews that negotiations for this highly anticipated fight are already underway and progressing. Alexander Volkov commented that, in his opinion, he truly believes Nemkov has a chance if he prepares himself thoroughly and properly for this upcoming fight. This is a wow, this is a wow announcement. If it happens, it will be amazing. Because Francis's contract with PFL is about to expire as well. After that, for example, he could move to the UFC, because he has talked about really wanting to fight at the White House, on a UFC card, against Jon Jones. So, that would truly be beautiful. To have such a last, memorable, and decisive final fight in the PFL against Nemkov,

A simple question for you, Ruslan. In your opinion, what do you think are Vadim's chances against Ngannou? Could you please tell us your thoughts? And what specific advantages would you say that Nemkov has in this particular fight? I actually thought the question would be,

In this regard, do you actually believe that this fight will really happen? This is an incredibly cool and fascinating story for Vadim Nemkov, even if nothing ultimately comes of it. I mean, the buzz that's being created around him is already, in itself, media hype of a very large scale. When was the last time there was this much noise around Vadim Nemkov, let's think about it? Only when he actually fights. When something significant happens, basically, it is usually a couple of days before, a couple of days after, and that's it. With all due respect, and with all his coolness specifically as a fighter. From a media standpoint, things here are let's say, for example, ambiguous. To put it mildly. As for Ngannou, everyone knows him very well, as he is a legendary heavyweight fighter. everyone knows him from his performances in the UFC. Everyone knows what kind of journey and path he has taken from love to hate with Dana White, what happened to him afterwards, those not very successful and rather disappointing boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Let me remind you, he lost to both of them. And during all that time, he fought in the PFL only once—yes, just once, in the PFL. That was on October 19th, 2024. So he hasn't fought this year, and he didn't fight at the end of last year either. So what are we even talking about? For me, the big question that I keep wondering about is who and when exactly Francis Ngannou will fight next. He has said he wants to fight at the White House—well, obviously, he means he wants to fight Jon Jones there. But let's listen to what Dana White said about him not so long ago, when he actually called him a bad person. He even imitated him, saying that he comes up to me and says, 'I don't understand you, I don't...' Like, basically, what he was trying to say was, 'I don't understand English.' But then, in a surprising turn of events, he grabs Dana White, literally, just like this, by the neck and demands something from him in a very direct and forceful manner. So, as a result, his relationship with Dana White is completely ruined, and things didn't work out with the PFL either, so what happens next for him is a really big question. If, after all of this, everything somehow lines up and he suddenly realizes that it actually wouldn't be such a bad idea to meet Vadim Nemkov, that would be great. As I already mentioned, there's a lot of media buzz. And I think, considering Ngannou's recent performances and overall form, it seems likely that Nemkov will have certain advantages in this matchup.

We have just one more brief announcement to share.

Friends, on December 22nd to 23rd, the Games of the Future will take place in Abu Dhabi. Let me remind you, the first such event was held in Kazan in 2024. Back then, the winners of the phygital martial arts were fighters from Kuznya, specifically Vladislav Sukalenko, whom you might remember from his performances in the MMA Series and other Russian promotions. This time, there will also be an interesting lineup of fighters, including Brazilians like Thiago Cardoso, Arimarsel Santos, fighters from the Kuznya club, and Suren Petrosyan. In general, there are a lot of fighters with experience in the MMA Series, whom our audience already knows. On December twenty second, the event will be commentated by Ruslan Gumilyov and David Kuchashvili. On December twenty-third, Yan Boronchuk and Alexey Volodin. So we’ll be happy to see you, and we are looking forward to welcoming you on our official online portal, MMA-TV.com. And later, you’ll be able to watch a replay of this event on the TV channel. We’ll be glad to have you.

Thank you very much, everyone, for joining our discussion today. With that, we’ll bring our meeting to a close. See you next week. Bye, guys.