Popov is back, Adesanya shocked & Postarnakova's PFL debut

Hello, friends! You are watching the weekly discussion on the portal mma-tv.com. My name is Julia Mirey. Joining me is Ruslan Gumilyov, a renowned sports journalist and expert commentator. Hi, Ruslan!

Hi there, hi, Julia! Hello to everyone joining us today!

This past Saturday, March 28th, a Fight Nights tournament was held in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, where the main event featured Oleg Popov, a PFL Grand Prix 2025 winner and graduate of the MMA Series. His opponent was Magomed Magomedov, nicknamed 'The Young One.' Before this fight, Magomedov's professional record was 6 wins and 5 losses. His last 3 fights unfortunately ended in defeat. Oleg's record is 22 wins and 2 losses. After 3 full rounds of competition, Oleg won the fight by a unanimous decision. What did you think of the fight, Ruslan?

"Oh, well, right away, as usual, I'll be honest with you—I didn't watch the fight live when it first happened. I only managed to catch the replay later on, because I was busy commentating on a different tournament myself then. What can I say, probably the most entertaining part, judging by everything, happened before the fight itself. So, the whole tournament wasn't exactly spectacular either, although, on the other hand, there's a side note: 'Fight Nights' returned to Match TV, Match Fighter, so that's an additional story—the renewal of their partnership. As for the tournament itself, according to all my colleagues, and from what I understood and saw in the highlights, it was, you know, kind of average. It wasn't a failure, but it was certainly far from the best that 'Fight Nights' has had. Now, about the main event. I'm going to start this story right at the very end, when the fight was finally over and Oleg Popov came out for the post-fight interview. He was then asked a rather unusual question: Oleg, why did you come out for the face-off without a T-shirt? You were wearing a T-shirt before. And this is what he said in response... But the real truth of the matter is, I am simply not in perfect physical shape right now and I showed my belly, yeah, a pretty decent-sized belly, so I really didn't want to embarrass the audience. So, in this particular part, we saw that Oleg Popov has a very good sense of humor and a lot of self-irony. But he could have surprised his opponent in this fight, because... well, or maybe it doesn't even surprise him at all. In fact, more or less everyone understood that he was going to wrestle. And as my colleagues said, as I expected when I looked at his record, that's exactly how it all happened. Oleg went for it from the very first seconds, it was a nervous start, literally, I don't know, 40 to 50 seconds in, the first takedown, and basically, that first minute was like a prologue to the whole fight. Everything that happened after that was more or less the same. Magomedov tried, managed to land something a couple of times—one time a high kick got through, another time a knee came in from the side—but that was basically it. In every other aspect, Oleg Popov did what he does best—he outwrestled his opponent and, by the way, got his revenge, because their record was 1 to 0

I absolutely agree. As a matter of fact, Oleg's tactics were quite predictable and expected. I find myself constantly thinking, basically, Oleg usually does exactly what we saw at the last tournament. And why can't people ever prepare for the fact that he's going to wrestle, that he's going to put pressure on them? And, well, to achieve total dominance on the ground—apparently, they do prepare for it, but it still doesn't work out for them. And I agree, there were two dangerous moments for him there, I think in the second round, when first a high kick landed, then a knee, but both just glanced off and didn't do him any harm. So, overall, it was a typical fight for Oleg. The only thing about it was...

A typical fight for Oleg that brought him a typical victory. Now it's already, I think, his fourth win in a row, right? After the PFL, which, by the way, was his last appearance last year—he basically didn't compete for almost a year. So that's cool. And it's further proof that Magomedov's fight did not go according to plan at all. At the end, first of all, he admitted that, basically, he had no chance, and he said this while sporting a massive hematoma under his left eye. So, in general... It just didn't work out for Magomed.

Well, he also said, of course, that actually he's not a heavyweight, he's a light heavyweight. Well, that's about it. I just don't understand why there's a need to wave your fists after the fight. And there's something else I don't quite get. So, why did Oleg need this fight? Well, of course, he is a star in Kalmykia, and performing on his home turf in Elista is great, especially when the whole crowd is supporting you, finally chanting 'Oleg, Oleg' compared to elsewhere. ...other situations, like when he fought in America, for example. But when looking at the bigger picture, he did not gain anything much from this victory. And if he had lost, he would have severely tarnished his reputation. What do you think, was it even worth it for him to agree to such a match?

I think that... Why? On the contrary, I see the motivation. First of all, as I already mentioned, getting revenge is important for fighters we know—ambitious guys—they needed to settle the score. He did that, that's one. Secondly, the reality is that the downtime is quite significant for fighters. That's also very important. I was just talking to Sergey Pavlovich recently, and he said, 'Yeah, for me already...' Sorry, I didn't care whether my opponent was from the top three, top five, or top ten. The main thing was just to get a fight. Downtime is the worst thing, no matter how cliché that sounds. And another thing—also a very obvious point from me—is the fee. Because everyone wants to eat, everyone wants to provide for their families. So even if the fee wasn't that big compared to PFL, well, why not take the fight?

And we often find ourselves discussing this topic—the reality that the global stage now seems to demand much more spectacle than actual sport. What do you think about this? Do you believe the PFL will eventually experience the exact same effect as the UFC does now, especially when they are working together with a giant like Paramount? In that environment, fighters are often expected to put on much more entertaining fights rather than simply focusing on the purely competitive sporting aspect. Because this shift in focus could definitely affect Oleg if it happens.

100%—this is a trend not just in the UFC. Well, the UFC is the trendsetter in the industry. But it's absolutely true for PFL as well, which has always claimed, along with Bellator, to be number two and is now on the verge of catching up to the UFC. Whether it's PFL's status or the status of a new organization. They're undertaking a complete... Restructuring, yes, so it's not even clear what the league will be called in the future. In one way or another, I'm certainly sure that Oleg, too, will need to work very seriously on this significant aspect. Will he be able to reinvent himself for the future? Will there be people around him who will say, 'Oleg, you need to get into trash talk,' or at least do something flashy like that? I... I keep saying this over and over again, like a mantra. I've already become, you know, like a marketer, like a PR person, because by the way, this doesn't just apply to fighters, but to us as well, to journalists and commentators too. You don't need to force it out of yourself, but you should be as natural and relaxed as possible. You need to let out something that's inside you, even if it's just a little... You may not be a super artistic person, but you still need to show that side of yourself. Because now it's really more of an entertainment industry, not just pure sport. That's why it will be difficult for Oleg Popov in this regard.

Well, what can I say? The whole process of growing older is really no fun at all. Exactly. Because, well, how many times have we talked about this, how many examples are there when decorated athletes in different sports—athletes we grew up watching, loved, admired, even idolized—suddenly just start to fall apart. Even though the glamour seems to be there, the grand entrances, everything appears to be fine, but then it's defeat after defeat after defeat. Only a very small number of exceptionally decorated athletes successfully manage to retire in time. That's just a preamble. So what happened here in the fight itself? You know what I'm going to say? It seems to me that Adesanya has finally been overtaken by old age, but not in the classic or traditional sense that we are all used to. I read this from one of my colleagues—I can't remember who right now—but I think he put it as accurately as possible. I'll quote him for the second time. Sometimes, it's the old age of reflexes. It's what we saw, for example, with Roy Jones, the great boxer, who kept doing all the same things—hands down, everything as before—but then started taking shots from Tarver, from another John Jones, I think, and from a few others, from Joe Calzaghe he took punches too. It seems like everything is the same, but the reflexes have become just a little bit slower—by half a second. And that's it. And everything he did depended on that. That's the first type of aging. The second category of aging is when your reflexes are still sharp. And you can do pretty much exactly the same things you did a year, two years, or even ten years ago. But! You start to lose concentration, you lose mental resilience. So it seems like you're winning, but at some point you switch to easy mode, thinking, 'That's it, I can relax now,' and that's when you get hit. So I truly believe that in Adesanya's case, it's definitely the latter scenario. Even in this fight, he was more or less in control against a tough, brutal—I'd even say—powerful knockout artist. Watch Pfeiffer's previous fights if you haven't already. He knocks people out just like that, out of nowhere. And here Adesanya went for it, and moreover, even before the fight he said he would knock him out. You know, when I started watching, I actually started to believe it to some extent. He did well in the first round and at the start of the second. But then there was a loss of concentration, a takedown from Pfeiffer, which many didn't expect. And, well, we all remember what happened next. Ground and pound, and the lights went out for Izzy. Basically, he's gotten older. That's his fourth loss in a row. At the same time... It's an interesting situation. He dropped 5 spots in the rankings, but stayed in the top 10. To put it in another way, even here Dana White and the UFC matchmakers are showing that they still truly believe in you. Because I honestly have no way of knowing how long they'll keep believing, or whether they'll let Adesanya get a record like Tony Ferguson's—eight consecutive losses—I have no idea. From my point of view, Adesanya needs to stop right now and start thinking about a different career path for his future.

"Listen to me, I have pretty much the exact same impression. I am really sorry that in this life, just like inside the octagon, old age seems to come on as if someone just suddenly shifts gears. That is to say, it is not something you can watch happen gradually over time

One hundred percent. And here’s another observation. This is a perfect example. A fighter I used to commentate on, who also made a lot of noise in the UFC, Yoel Romero. He's 48 years old. And he has still maintained that focus. Mentally, first of all, he's in perfect shape. You just look at him and think, yeah, that's really a soldier, a lucky one, a warrior of light, whatever you want to call him. But he has remarkably kept his concentration throughout this, you know? In that sense. And how so? Through discipline. This guy has always been disciplined. Which you can't say about Adesanya. You might say, but how did he rise to such heights? Of course, he trained very hard, yes. But he always relied heavily on his reflexes, on some kind of innate intuition, and on his raw talent. And when you eventually reach that stage, especially when you've gotten much older, a lot of different things start to show, and you simply need to follow a truly flawless system. Adesanya doesn't have that, which is why the result is what it is.

Although, in my opinion, he's not actually that old physically . I think he's only about thirty-six years old.

It's different for everyone. Everyone ages differently. We've seen this on more than one occasion already.

So, listen, do you think Adesanya is done? Or, take the example of Petr Yan, who also had a string of tough losses, but he ultimately came out of it victorious.

Yes, by the way, that's actually a very good, I think, illustrative example, but as a contrast. Because Petr Yan He went through a significant kind of creative crisis, both in terms of his physical preparation and his mental state, but he's still far from being finished—he definitely hasn't had his last word in the UFC just yet. Plus, we all clearly remember the tough losses he had to Aljamain Sterling, right, and then the completely controversial one to Sean O'Malley. Here, all of those losses were incredibly close, but they kind of indicate that the time for a major change has really come. As for Imavov, well, that was also a pretty good fight, but like I said, this is one of the signs of aging. So, in my opinion, as for Adesanya—of course, he knows best—he could stay in the UFC, by the way, and beat someone in his next fight outside the top 10. But if we're talking about the very top spots, I think his story there is already over. I would suggest to him—as I’ve already said—to take part in some kind of show. He could, you know—just like Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier making a lot of noise on Alpha Reality or perhaps somewhere else entirely. Can you imagine that? Adesanya appears on one side, and on the other, they invite Pereira. Powerful. Honestly, I’d even watch something like that myself.

I really do hope that he watches our episode and maybe even takes a note of it. Israel, if you are watching our episode right now, please listen, listen closely to what Ruslan has to say. We actually had a lot of events happening this past weekend. On March twenty ninth, at the PFL tournament in the flyweight division, the Russian fighter Tatyana Pоstаrnakova made her debut. She is 25 years old. Her record before the fight was 6 wins and 1 loss. Some sources say she was undefeated. Five of those wins were by stoppage. Her opponent was the Brazilian fighter Elora Dana. Her record before the fight was eight wins and one loss. And after three full rounds, Tatyana won by unanimous decision. Well, I actually have a quick question for you here. What is the current situation in the PFL women's flyweight division? And what do you think is next for Tatyana after such an incredibly impressive debut performance?

Every time any fighter, any woman, enters the PFL, no matter which weight class they are currently in—give or take one, two, or even three divisions— they all look in the direction of one legendary woman— Dakota Ditcheva.

That is correct.

Yes, so as soon as Dudakova moves to the PFL, right away... a potential fight with Ditcheva, and Pasternakova is already trying to set it up for her. So, more or less, it's the same for everyone, not just the Russian fighters. And as for Dakota Ditcheva, people are telling her, 'Dakota, that's enough here, it's time for you to go to the UFC.' We've already prepared everything there, and there's also Kayla Harrison—maybe we can arrange something. So, basically, we're waiting for you there. That's why it's quite an interesting story. But with Tatyana, what is truly interesting is what led up to this—namely, her signing her contract with the PFL. She gave interviews—I've spoken with her myself — and it was clear that things here were kind of over, the whole story had finally played out. She actually tried to get into different promotions, her managers were working on it, but there were no solid offers. Either the fees were too low, or, as she herself said, there were some shady situations. So after our event, she secured a contract from PFL. She was basically on cloud nine, more or less, since it's an incredibly influential and powerful organization, and they pay much more than we do. That's exactly why she was very happy, and it was truly important for her to prove her status here. Because 6 to 0, well, according to 1 version, she was undefeated, had 6 wins, everything was great. And for PFL, when you come in with a debut fight and a record like that among women, it's impressive. But she was also up against a girl who was in truly great physical shape, even though she had unfortunately lost her very last fight. So, honestly, when I watched, again, yes, the full replay of this intense fight, even though I already knew the final result, I still had some serious concerns. And those concerns were actually confirmed in the very first seconds, when she took a powerful hit right to the face, but... This is exactly where both her mental and physical preparation came into play, as well as the fact that in grappling she turned out to be stronger than her opponents. I mean, really. People also said that Ilora was great at grappling, but it turned out that Pоstаrnakova's ground game worked much better. So, more or less, you could say that, you know, you can draw a parallel here with Popov. That is, in this aspect, she simply, well, in a way, destroyed her opponent. So it looks like everything worked out here.

Well, we have largely received great news this weekend. Although we are of course deeply concerned about Israel, overall the news for us, as fans of Russian athletes, is truly very positive. Thank you, Ruslan, for spending this morning with me. I hope you found it interesting. We're finishing up the video discussion for today. See you next week. Bye.

Thank you, Yulia. Goodbye, everyone.