Oleg Popov on the $500K PFL Grand Prix, Goltsov’s Triangle, His Sons and Injuries

He tells me that 50/50 isn't for me. You see, I'm not okay with it when it's 50/50. "Oh, are you filming already? Alright, let's go, let's just head upstairs. Hello everyone, welcome! We are currently standing here at the historic Odeon Theater, where the truly wonderful and unique gastro-musical production titled 'Moscow' is taking place right now. From Dusk Till Dawn', and the various venues where the MMA Series held its tournaments. I hope we'll be holding tournaments here again soon. They always turned out to be very good, bright, and interesting. It is certainly true that Oleg Popov, our most senior champion—in the best sense of the word— wasn't at this tournament. Oleg, it's good to see you. You were literally just passing by here somewhere along Belorusskaya. And it's great that we ran into each other by chance and ended up here. How are you doing? That brilliant advertising campaign where you suffered the loss of your face in the intense battle with Magomed Molodoy—has it finally come to a complete end, and have you successfully managed to regain your face once again?

Honestly, things are looking really great at the moment, especially after that big fight. Yeah, it was a truly solid promotion, a high-stakes rematch and all that sort of thing. I must have written about a hundred times, at least. What rematch? We checked Sherdog, and you never had a fight with him. I said, well, it's a bit different. The rematch, I said, was moved from combat sambo to MMA.

I'd like to offer you another interesting challenge. We could have found some old childhood photos, just you as a young kid playing chess. And just say, twenty-nine years ago they played chess together, and even back then you had already lost to him.

If there was actually something like that available, I really think those would have been absolutely great shots for us to capture as well.

Alright. So, basically, for someone like you, this whole fight is really just about the money, isn't it?

Well, roughly speaking, yes, that is correct. I have just managed to earn a bit of extra money. From the start, I understood that it wouldn't be a difficult fight. Even though I was feeling a bit unwell, having just recovered and not being in perfect shape, I knew I could handle it. That's all there is to it. In the second round, I could have tried to finish him off, but I was afraid of wasting unnecessary energy. If I had had a proper, full training camp—two and a half months, two months, or even a month and a half— I truly believe that I would have finished it early. Exactly how did you use up all of your energy?

You never run out of energy, though. Or is it that age has finally caught up with you?

Apparently, it's age, yes. So at this stage in life, I wouldn't recommend any person at all to step in as a replacement. Not just as a replacement, but even on such incredibly short notice.

Were you ever a short-notice replacement before?

Actually, I always used to step in early, as a rule.

By the way, for those who don't know, Oleg is actually the king of short-notice fights—that's how your career started, right? We definitely need to talk about that... No, let's not put it off, let's talk about it right now. Your first fight was with Anton Vizigin, right?

Yes, that marked my debut.

A legendary, really cool heavyweight—he's still competing and has a great reputation. What happened there? Did you already know that MMA existed, or did you not know yet that you could strike, grapple—that it was all allowed? No, you didn't know?

I only knew on the street that you could hit and grapple. And I had only competed in army hand-to-hand combat. I had absolutely no experience in MMA, not even as an amateur, nothing at all. They offered me the fight, I don't remember, maybe 15 days, 2 to 2.5 weeks, maybe 3 before the event. Was he competing in sambo back then? Vyazigin?

No, he was 5 or 6 and 0 in MMA at that time.

Yeah, they offered me a fight with him, and I agreed to it right away without hesitation. That is really all there was to it, and we eventually stepped into the cage and fought. It turned out that in the very first round, I managed to take him down to the mat and finished the fight off with a sharp elbow strike. If that hadn't happened, I don't know what would have happened. But I definitely would have gotten tired, that's for sure.

Your legendary, unforgettable fight with Adam Bogatyrev in M-1, which I personally commentated back in the old days. After a layoff, right.

I remember that I lost to Suleymanov on points back then. By the way, that was actually a short notice fight too. Yeah, it was about two weeks' notice as well; they told me only two weeks before the fight, and I agreed to take it. And as it turned out, they also mentioned that it would be at a catchweight of one hundred kilograms. Since I was serving under contract at that time, I didn't really have any proper preparation. My training consisted of the army gym, a punching bag, some equipment, and my fellow servicemen.

– Your comrades-in-arms, who were compelled to endure such terrible suffering? – That was simply the way it had to be.

They were forced to suffer through it, as I slowly and repeatedly practiced my submissions on them. I tried everything on them—practicing moves and finishing techniques. Then I was informed that this fight was in a catchweight category, which meant that I had to start cutting weight. The army scales tricked me by two kilograms. I needed to lose 12 kilograms, but since these were army scales, I ended up losing 2 kilograms too much. Basically, the initial scales I used showed that I was 2 kilograms off. However, when I finally stepped on the official weigh-in scale for the final measurement, my weight was recorded as being exactly 98 kilograms. My opponent didn't make weight. He didn't lose two to two point five kilograms. I remember for sure it was at least two kilograms. He missed weight by about 2 or 3 full kilograms. They offered me the option to refuse the fight if I wanted. I honestly don't remember exactly what the conditions were. I just remember that they told me I could say no if I chose to. And I just thought to myself. I spent so much time, ten days cutting weight, preparing, lost weight for nothing. I just thought, oh well, let's go ahead and fight. Besides all that, literally about three weeks before the fight, I competed in the army championships and broke my hand. I thought, well, I have three weeks—plenty of time for it to heal.

That makes perfectly logical sense, and it heals in the exact same way a hand would.

Yeah, but since I was walking around without a cast, plus I was getting ready for the fight, It turned out that it didn’t have time to heal. I understood that it would break again, but I was hoping at least in the third round. At least, I thought, okay, maybe in the second or third round. But what happened was that I re-broke it at the end of the first round. And that was it, I spent the next two rounds like this. Well, after the weight cut, my hand wasn't actually the obstacle anymore. The real issue was the weight cut itself. I didn't have any strength at all. Everyone knows how I fight. I shoot for takedowns often. Usually, I do it multiple times a round.

But how did you try to go for it? He wasn’t tall, he couldn’t bring it in.

I could've done that, but I lacked the strength after the weight cut. I just recovered with water and then went back to the cycle.

So, since then you realized light heavyweight isn’t for you?

Yeah, it’s not for me. And even if it is, I don’t know what kind of offer or fee they’d have to give me for it. And besides the fee, I don’t know—starting from nutritionists to making sure I recover properly after the weight cut. Not the way I usually do it. Just put on the sauna suit and went to sweat it out.

It is good that you became aware of the situation early enough, that it has turned out this way... It is quite a shame that it had to be an experience in terms of such a loss. Wow.

It is nothing more than a simple, warm cup of tea, served completely plain without any extra ingredients or additives.

I brought tea. Thank you.

So, taking a look at the current situation, what exactly do we have in front of us right now? That is very helpful information, so I would like to say thank you very much for your assistance.

I sweated.

Have you broken out in a cold, heavy sweat? It's because of the intense weight cut.

I hate when someone sneaks up behind me.

Listen, that is honestly the single scariest back take I would ever agree to in my entire life. If, for example, you had Alexander Romanov do it to you, that would be scary. Kristina is nicer than Alexander Romanov.

I didn’t know who was coming, I just heard footsteps and thought, something’s not right. Yeah, I thought something went wrong.

About the fight with Golets. By the way, that’s a very fascinating point to bring up. Did you prepare to face him? Who did you have assisting you in your training camp?

I was training in Dagestan.

So, tell me, who were your sparring partners while you were there?

There weren’t any big, tall guys. The focus was more about working on physical conditioning and building strength. That’s all. There really weren’t any proper big, tall sparring partners. There were heavyweights, yes. There was Shamsik, I don’t remember his last name, a big guy. Stocky, big guy. A very powerful guy.

So there weren’t any tall, striking boxers with good sambo skills? No, there weren’t.

Back then, after I got caught and went out, I confirmed something for myself. I realized that if your opponent is big and tall, you need to get used not just to... Besides the fact that he's tall, you have to get used to his size, the length of his arms, the length of his legs. Because when he threw that same triangle on me...

You really thought you'd shake him off, didn't you then?

Yeah, usually the legs aren't long enough to lock it in when you tuck the arm under the hips or something like that. It was simply one of my fatal mistakes—I misjudged his size. That's all there is to it. Then, when I realized and understood that the triangle was locked in tight, I thought to myself, well, I guess I am not going to tap out.

So, by the way, what exactly did you dream about when you passed out? I'll tell you now. What did it actually feel like in that triangle choke? A lot of people were curious, they're interested to hear what you'll say. Ringing in my ears.

That's it. Then he starts shaking my arm. I open my eyes, and I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep. I start pressing on him again. And then the bell rings. And they tell me, 'Stop, stop, it's over.' I thought... And my first thought was, wow, I'm really exhausted. And in my head I'm thinking, only the first round is over, but I'm so tired that I didn't even hear the bell. Those were my thoughts. When they picked me up, I sat down like, whew. Thinking, damn, two more rounds to fight. But it's okay, I've got a minute to recover. But then I see everyone coming into the cage. I'm thinking, something's not right here. Something's off.

Someone has a camera.

The fight's over, right? Yeah, I realized then... I saw my coach Oleg's upset face. That's when I understood that... And the final image within my mind is the triangle. I remember that triangle choke, and I realize he locked it in, then started catching me, and I start wheezing. In my head I swore to myself, like, 'There is no way I am tapping out, what is this?' Well, and apparently I just passed out right there. That is how it went down.

That's just how the world works, as Timofey Bazhenov always says. Now, do you know what I wanted to say? And who else was in your corner besides Oleg?

Well, I fell asleep so deeply that I honestly don't remember exactly. I remember that Oleg was definitely there. Oleg was there.

Fyodor, Oleg. When we recently sat down and did a small review with the viewers, our audience was actually quite curious. It is a well-known fact that Fyodor also had some significant problems with the triangle choke in the past. He also had his first defeat. Just so you know, I even provided the commentary for that entire fight. For me, it was a really scary experience, because it was the first time in my life I was commentating on Fyodor's fight against Werdum, and he lost by triangle choke. When I stood up in that video, I also had several questions in my mind, and I was visually asking you, maybe you really needed to specifically work on certain technical aspects related to your submissions, or did you honestly expect that Gortsov would just stay in his natural element and act accordingly in that situation?

I thought he would just keep striking. I understood that, as far as grappling goes, he knows the triangle choke and basic control. Tucking in the legs, ground and pound. Basically, I assessed and understood that. Honestly, I went into this fight in a bit of a rush, not fully collected. Usually, when I go out there, I have my rhythm, my pulse is calm, which means I know I’m ready. If I start getting flustered, then something’s not right, and I need to adjust somehow. I went out there a bit flustered, something was off. I realized that everything was going wrong. So, I start bringing myself down. But what do you mean, 'everything'? What? The mental aspect. When one thing doesn’t work out, people start giving me corrections right before the fight. Like, 'You need to strike like this two days before the fight, you need to do this, you need to pressure here,' or something along those lines. I think there’s no point in making any adjustments two days before the fight. Especially when I did my training camp in a completely different place. And that made me a bit angry, nervous. That’s all there is to it. So every single bit of that really took its toll. That’s why it turned out this way.

Well, let’s have a drink then. Too bad it’s just tea. Well, let’s at least have some tea. Looking back at your second run in the Grand Prix, the final match against Alexander Romanov. To be honest, I have to say, first of all, because I get so terribly nervous, the whole experience felt like total déjà vu—it reminded me of when Fedor lost to Werdum, or when you lost to Goltsov, and I was right there watching all of this live. The first time, I was even commentating, and here too, I was watching live. Obviously, I know you better than my own family. I was really upset for you, my mood was ruined, because I was absolutely certain that the Grand Prix was yours. Me too. And, accordingly, the million—well, either a million, or in total a million, I don’t really know for sure.

Back then, I thought so too, yes.

Which was also yours, even without taxes and without converting to rubles, even without a bad exchange rate, if you choose. Wait, it was just a million, right? Well, just in any case, yes, I definitely thought it was yours. But it’s not a million, it’s a million in total, right?

Actually, no, it is separate.

Was there a single prize left? And was it also kept separate the last time?

Yes, separate.

Fair enough, I suppose. The tax was incredibly steep. I can certainly imagine that. Times are incredibly difficult right now. Alexander Romanov, to be perfectly honest with you, is truly not really someone you would ever want to rewatch.

Overall, yes. I understand that... Is he healthy?

Or does he feel the struggle? No, he’s very sensitive in the fight, very strong.

And besides, let's start with the simple fact that my second attempt to enter the Grand Prix and achieve some success was, overall, one big, grueling challenge right from the very first fight. I just kept getting injury after painful injury, one after another.

By the way, what's the story with that legendary hernia?

It's still there.

The one you got from the very first fight of MMA Series.

It is unfortunately still lingering right there, and I am actively trying to get rid of it. With mixed success. Overall, I entered the second Grand Prix. They made it one fight shorter over there, I think. To be honest, all of my fight preparations weren't really true preparations—I was just constantly dealing with being injured. I broke a rib, it healed a bit, I performed somehow, then broke another rib, injured my leg. In general, all the injuries were pretty unpleasant, not just some...

And they're not treatable either—how do you heal a rib? You can't, but you still have to prepare.

And also, before the final, I think I broke a rib on this side too, on the right. Plus a hernia. I don't even mention those anymore.

A hernia is a problem with the wisdom tooth.

Thank God above, you're completely safe and sound. And I was preparing for the final. Preparation or not, my true specialty is wrestling, clinching, grappling, and getting all tangled up. I understood that for us, this would be twice as much as usual, especially since he's a wrestler too. Yes, yes, since he is a professional wrestler, I understood quite well that there would be a lot of wrestling involved, but because of the injury, I could not fully prepare myself, especially in terms of the wrestling. So I really had to work like this: Playing tag, slowly working on the pads, once my rib had healed a bit. At first, I just lay down for the first week. During the second week, I started going out for morning runs, at least just to warm up. That's it. Then, I think it was in the third week, yes. In the third week, I started lightly hitting the pads. I might be mistaken, it was about a week. I started hitting the pads and doing light shadowboxing. Getting into the cross stance, just a little, pushing and shoving lightly. No, not at all, absolutely not the case. And that's it. And by the end of the third week, or in the middle, I had already decided to leave.

These are questions. I brought some questions. The viewers are asking.

Is it always going to be like this? I can't understand. Thank you.

You are welcome now.

Let's find out now, finish this story, and then move on to the questions. So, in short, with Roman, it turned out that you simply couldn't make it to the very end? It seems you just weren't in good enough shape to last until the end.

Were you nervous when they were raising the winners' hands?

For some strange and unknown reason, I felt absolutely certain about it. Is that the correct way to put it, at least as I remember it now? It was a sudden, split-second decision, wasn't it?

Yes.

Didn't you think, what if they announce the other way?

I don't know, for some reason I was sure. Actually, when the show made it to the second final, when I reached the final for the second year in a row, I understood that there were injuries and so on, but in my mind, I underlined one big... I underlined the fact that, in any case, there are no excuses. To lose in the final two times in a row would already be disappointing. That's why I realized that right now I had to do everything I could. It didn't matter whether I was injured or not, all of that had to be set aside. I just needed to focus on these 25 minutes today. That's all. And it worked out. Surprisingly. Everyone around me kept on telling me, 'Alexander will get tired in the second round.'

Everybody.

There wasn't a single person who told me that it would be easy. My coach, Oleg, warned me not to relax, because he knew that at this moment, this fight could change a lot in his life. It is the final, there is a prize fund involved, and there are many other things at stake for him right now. Keep in mind, he will give everything in his preparation for this. I will be fully prepared. He was the only one who told me that. All the other guys, my clubmates, my teammates, everyone said, 'Just be careful in the first round, push a little in the second round, and in the third round, he's all yours.' You can give away the first round. Or something like that, yes, I think that's what they said. You can give away the first round.

So basically, you had a clear game plan from all sides, right?

And from the third round, start increasing the pace. Well, judging by everything, it's still unclear who got more tired, him or me. If you rewatch the fight... – Was it hard for you?

Yes, it's clear that it was hard for me.

I mean the way he was breathing. He was breathing just fine. I'd say he wasn't breathing any worse than me, certainly.

You didn't put as much pressure on him as you usually do on your opponents? So, what do you usually do? You take it to the ground, you apply heavy pressure, and you wear them down. Here is the arm, here is the body, and right here you hit the diaphragm. All those specific moments when... While you're getting up, you just try to catch your breath, and then you take it to the ground again. You weren't really able to dominate here, were you?

To be honest, I didn't really wrestle fully. Like I said, I couldn't really train wrestling properly during my preparation. So I was counting more on striking and clinching. I definitely understood there would be a lot of clinching. I was surprised that I was able to take him down. I took him down with a trip. When I took him down, I didn't expect that I'd be able to do it. After I took him down and he fell, he got up really quickly. I didn't even have time to realize that I needed to hold him down. While I was trying to, I couldn't even manage to hold him. To be honest, I really didn't expect that I would actually be able to trip him up.

Why did you not ever consider that you should attempt to engage with him in a standing position instead? He is not a great striker either. Yeah.

I felt a lot of apprehension at first, since I'm mostly a stand-up fighter. Once I got in there, I realized that it's actually kind of... evenly matched between the two of us.

With all due respect to the pro fighters. I was afraid I'd get taken down.

Oh, so it was the other way around? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was afraid that if I went all in, say, throwing combinations at him, I might get caught by a takedown. That is why I was sneaking up like that.

But in the MMC series against Bigfoot, you really spin that left hook. When are we going to see that?

That's because of nerves. So, Bigfoot came in, and as he entered, I threw a left and landed it. And right after I landed it, I immediately went for his legs. I went in, grabbed him, and then he somehow... I couldn't figure it out, he just fell somewhere. Later I realized that I hit him really hard. I knew I landed the shot, but I didn't realize how hard it was.

People are often asking, do you still keep in touch with Roman?

Yes. He's a good guy. We text each other.

Tell me, does he actually live in Moldova at the moment?

No, in America.

What are his plans? I do not really ask him any detailed questions.

I know for certain that he is finished with the PFL, and right now he is competing somewhere in the American leagues at the same time. He wrestles, competes in wrestling, plus he also has professional fights in several other leagues as well. I am not entirely familiar with the names of those leagues.

Ask him about his wife. Does he happen to have a wife at this time?

Who? You.

So, what is all this about? Tell me Oleg, do you actually have a wife at home?

Now, that is a truly excellent question.

Yes, that is correct. Are we talking officially or unofficially here? Now listen, the way I see it... Leti definitely has one of those in her possession right now.

No, but what? No, I honestly don't care about that. You're a public figure. As a matter of fact, there are a wide variety of very interesting things related to what you do in your daily life and routine. That is why I am really asking this question. That's why I thought that...

What do I do in my everyday life? I break up my kids' fighting all the time. And if we're at the playground, then with someone else. That's it, just everyday stuff. I'm either kicking them or scolding them. And really, that is all there is to it. After spending a couple weeks with the kids, I start thinking when is training camp? When exactly does the training camp start?

But your sons often appear on your social media platforms, and one of them frequently uses a significant amount of foul language.

Where did that come from?

Do you want me to tell you honestly? What's the story behind that?

Wait, how is that even possible? I am absolutely certain that's Ruslan over there, yes.

So, how is Ruslan doing right now? Take your son. We see him around quite often, and he carries himself like a real, seasoned dockworker. He truly looks and acts like a tough guy from the port. Almost every word he says makes him sound like he has spent his whole life working on the docks. Honestly, I even learned some things myself. Me too. Alright.

Well, then who is it?

Where does it come from? Maybe it's his mom, a lot.

I don't know. I'm often away at training camps. I don't know who's looking for him there. Who else could be teaching him? It's either parent, so it must be the mother. I'm at training camps.

That's where it's all leading.

That's where it's all leading. That's how it turns out. But I'm surprised, yes. He even uses those words just like that. Right where he needs to. So, yes. But it's not me, I'm telling you right away. Alright.

So, will you do something about it? Or leave things as they are?

If he can't handle it, I think the staff will start scolding him soon. Because when he sees someone in uniform, he... He comes out with some pretty strong statements. I don't even use the kind of foul language he says to the employees and staff members. I honestly don't know where he learned that kind of behavior from. I think it's all from the internet. It should be banned.

Well, actually, I really think that is how it's going to be soon.

He's probably more recognizable than I am, at least in Kalmykia for sure. We're at a traffic light, they honk at me. I don't get it, so I roll down the window. They go, 'Oh, you've been replaced, switched places.' She just goes, 'What? Get lost!'

The truth is that as the years go by , it is simply going to become increasingly difficult to keep arguing like that.

With time, you can kick back.

No consequences, just saying, that's how it is.

But now he's turned five years old. Now I'm slowly starting to scold him, to explain that it's not good. As for arguing. A bit of fighting is still fine, so just let him keep on fighting. But using bad language is not acceptable. Calling names and similar behavior. Otherwise, we're always at the playground entrance.

By the way, are you planning on enrolling your children in any sports?

Every single man should be well-rounded and versatile. Should be involved in something. Yeah, yeah, let them do it, let them train, but it's not a given that they... In short, it's not necessary for them to perform at a professional level or anything like that. They should have some kind of competition, but just as amateurs. As a student, he should at least achieve the level of Candidate for Master of Sports, and that is all. And after that—

So did it turn out that you just came to the gym and wrestled from morning till night? Well, yeah. Basically, I was just goofing around, to put it bluntly. Probably because there was really nothing else to do, right? I mostly trained hard so I could fight back if I ever needed to.

To completely overpower and physically beat someone up. That was absolutely all there was to the entire situation.

And now, he won't need to fight back anymore?

If he tries to pick a fight with someone on the playground, with someone older, I don't interfere. I see that he's going after someone older, and I understand that he's about to get it. I think, that's experience. He gets hit on the head, starts throwing things, grabs something, tries to fight, and then I step in and break it up. I tell him, that's it, you cried. I tell him, if you cried, that means you lost. That's it, I say, and I start telling him, like, you need to train, you need to do push-ups, you need to hit. Let's go home, that's it. We get home, and he's like, come on, hold up your hands.

And him?

Yeah, I hold up my hands and he hits, testing it out.

So, look, it turns out that in seven months, a powerful striker will appear on the floor. A powerful, mature, precise striker. It's just interesting to see how it will affect him, considering that he already has money, right, like...

I am also incredibly curious to know, exactly what did you spend all of your prize money from the PFL Grand Prix on?

I was wondering if you could tell me the identity of the person who originally submitted that specific question for us to look at today?

I got it. What did you spend it on? Wait, what kind of hint is that? We're men, we can handle this ourselves, we know how to ask questions. Oleg, I'm curious, what exactly did you spend all of that prize money you earned at the PFL Grand Prix on?

I'm building a house, completely renovating my apartment, and, well, spending time on partying.

On partying? On children's entertainment.

It would actually be absolutely hilarious to see you at a party.

Honestly, you would probably even pay for that. Just to see yourself at a party, wouldn't you?

On children's entertainment. I'm building a house. But since the money was given in installments, not all at once, not in a lump sum. If they had given it all at once, I would have done something differently. Since they were distributing the payments to me over the course of six months, for sure, and in relatively small increments, I found it hard because I have never really liked the idea of saving up money. I can do it, but I just don't like it. That's why I bought another apartment, and I am currently in the process of renovating it right now. – In Krasnodar?

– Yes.

I'm building a house and finally finishing it up.

Tell me, where exactly is that located?

Also in Krasnodar?

– Yes. – So where exactly there? Somewhere near Krasnodar?

#ИМЯ?

Just there.

Customs keeps things separate. Every single bit of it.

Actually, I recognize one person from over there, I think. So, why are you building this together?

That's why it's so. That's where I spent it.

Listen, by the way, regarding the local partying scene, do any of those things even exist? Can you buy crayfish and beer, or maybe some fish and beer, or something like that? Not crayfish. Just as an example. I don't know. Buy a nightclub, organize a competition between the steppe and the perch.

I like my kind of entertainment. I'd go somewhere into the mountains. I am looking for something a bit more fascinating. Perhaps something connected with nature.

That's not for money, wait. You can go to the mountains for free.

No, look, somewhere even higher up.

Do you have to make a payment to go there?

If you go there on a tour alone, you might not come back. Seriously? Yeah.

I really love hiking.

I like that kind of thing. Actually, it never really works out. But if I had to choose between going to a club or going on a scenic hike somewhere, I would definitely choose the hike.

I understand that, thank you very much. That is good to know.

With so many kids around, all of my entertainment plans go out the window immediately and completely.

Yes, absolutely, of course. Kids really are like beautiful flowers. So, what is the next step?

Actually, you have a visitor waiting for you.

Well, thank you very much indeed. Alright then, well, let us go ahead and invite them inside now. Quite unexpectedly, another person completely by chance happened to be near the Adaon Theater, where, as you are already well aware, those unique gastro-performances take place there. Moscow from dusk till dawn, in particular, and where we hold our gastro-duels. We used to hold them, we hold them now, and I hope we will continue to do so. Gleb Mikhalev, MMA series fighter. Hi, Gleb. Hello to each and every one of you. I am incredibly glad and happy that you have all ended up here today, since you and Oleg seem to share some very meaningful common ground, various shared interests, or perhaps you even share a significant life together in some special way. One way or another, you have been involved... There are certain things and events that often happen in the world around us. In particular, you don't really know what life in the army is actually like. Do you have any specific questions you want to ask your colleague?

Oleg, I'd like to ask you a question so that you, as an experienced fighter, could give me, a young and promising fighter, some advice or guidance on how... Military service helps in martial arts and in everyday life. Are you sure you're not promising?

Alright.

Military service, first and foremost, is about strict discipline and personal responsibility. First of all, the army—no matter what it was like before, and now, of course, they're taking it seriously— No matter what it was like before, there is still discipline there. Discipline and character hardening. Starting from TSP and TSU, from various drills, even when doing the same shooting exercises, including night shooting exercises, the routine remains. In general, it's still all about waking up early, stretching out, smiling, putting on your backpack, carefully loading up the vehicle in the cold winter, and performing the same winter parachute jumps as always. Ultimately, all of this is about character, building character, and discipline. And ending with what is happening in the world right now, ending with these challenging deployments—out there, everything finally comes out: your true character and so on. So, I think it helps, in any case, it definitely helps. After what you see out there, for those who go on these deployments, I just feel that it changes you, I've served for a long time and a lot. My circle of acquaintances is mostly all military personnel. And accordingly, I still keep in touch with them to this day. And I find out how things are going there, how their health is, what's happening. Many people here, who haven't seen everything that is happening there, tend to walk around this place as pessimists. "Oh, it's a bad day," "Oh, this or that, my finger hurts." Things like that... Well, yes, they're pessimists. And the guys who are there, sometimes I would get in touch with them from time to time, I talk to them, and they have a smile on their face, like, "Hey, bro, hi, everything's good, everything's great." There's such positivity there. It's just that they're there. They live one day at a time, not knowing what will happen to them tomorrow. That's why I think, after the army, it truly builds your character and makes you much stronger; it helps in any case. Just imagine, when you know that over there, it's either all or nothing. Or when you step into a fight here, in a way, you also give it your all or nothing, but you know you'll live if things go that way. That is precisely the reason I believe the army is helpful in any case.

Oleg, could you please share a story, maybe a telling one from your time in the army, where someone kind of transformed themselves there... Or just something like that, yes.

Or maybe just something else like that.

Yes, I'll say something like that. Let me think about that for a moment. I don't have that many stories, but I do have some to share. Well, one of the stories, for example, comes from my own brigade, just from another unit within it. There are some guys there. One of them is not an athlete. He does general physical training, since in our brigade every quarter we have to pass a physical test, just like everywhere else. Accordingly, you get paid for achieving the absolute peak level. So, he doesn't have any particular sport as his primary athletic base. But his general physical fitness is exceptionally impressive. However, in terms of his character, when it comes to fighting, he's remarkably easygoing and relaxed, always trying to steer clear of any unnecessary confrontations and things like that. And he's not always fully accepted there. The army is still a predominantly male-dominated collective, much like you would find in the wild. The one who wins is either the strongest, the quickest, the cunning, or the smartest. I think every single person clearly understands that. One of the complex situations with exactly what is happening with us at this very moment. We went on a business trip. I wasn't there myself, but I know this from first-hand sources. They suddenly came under heavy fire, and a comrade was seriously injured. He was lying there, and they couldn't crawl to him because they were afraid under the gunfire. This guy, as I said, he's not the type to get into street fights, but there he showed his courage—he simply crawled over to him, reached him, bandaged him up, gave him painkillers. Did everything as needed, so to speak, and pulled him out. Not a single one of the guys who train, or those who helped me with the preparation. I'm not saying they're cowards or anything like that, but it's a bit different there—it's a different character, a different way of expressing oneself and who you are overall. This guy, who isn't ready to fight on the street, figuratively speaking, not with everyone—there, he showed himself in a different way, that's all. People started treating him differently. People started treating him differently, that's all. That's why There are two different kinds of bravery here. Acting as a street bully and being... successfully completing a challenging and complex mission. Yes, those are two completely different kinds of bravery. So here...

I hope that for the many people who like to brag on the streets, about what extraordinarily skilled warriors they are, this story will serve as a deeply profound lesson, because when real survival truly begins, it is often entirely different qualities that truly matter. And indeed, as you said, a person who doesn't look like some kind of super-monster, who can't just throw punches and break things, in the end, might solve a problem in a way that none of the tough guys could, so to speak.

That's absolutely right. You can't underestimate people like that. He might even help you, even save you.

Oleg, as a young and dedicated aspiring athlete, I really want to achieve those same impressive high results, to compete in major events abroad or stand at the very top here in Russia. Could you please give me some valuable advice—what is the most essential factor to reach such a peak? In short, what is the most effective and right way to move forward on this journey?

If you want to move forward the right way, it's only with a team. No matter how talented, strong, smart, good-looking, or almighty you are—only with a team. A dedicated team, supportive mentors, and coaches—those who truly believe in you and are just as deeply and fully committed to you as you are to them. It's really a collaborative team effort. There's no other way but teamwork. So you say you're asking me for advice. Honestly, I'm not much of an expert at giving advice myself. Sometimes, I can only ask my own coach for guidance. That's just how it is. There's only a small age difference between us, but I can still turn to him for advice. And you know, when I say team, I don't just mean the sports aspect of it, but the team as a whole—even in everyday life. When I first moved to Krasnodar, I was having quite a bit of trouble with finding housing and getting settled, but overall... My club, 'Kuznya,' which is led by our head coach Oleg Perevertunov, was fully and deeply involved in every part of my life. Not just in the sports aspect. They would offer their unwavering support, give valuable advice, and even provide financial assistance to get you through when needed. If it's a team, then it's a truly genuine team—not just in the world of sports, but in life overall. You step into the fight, you prepare yourself mentally, and when you see that the guys who are training you, your dedicated coaches, are giving their absolute all for you, and that they truly and deeply believe in your potential, then, in that very moment when you finally step into the fight, If you start doubting yourself even during the fight—you know, there's always some nerves. Who says they don't get nervous before a fight? That's pure nonsense. There's always some nervousness. You're always afraid of losing something. You're not afraid of getting hit in the head, or having your arm or leg broken. No, that's not what you're thinking about. You're just afraid that they'll raise someone else's hand. It's the bitterness of defeat. That's all there is to it. When you're feeling nervous, you step into the fight and for a second you start to think about how much has been invested in you, the faith people have in you, and how much your coaches have given and continue to give you. You start fighting harder and motivate yourself with the thought that you just can't let them down. You're more afraid of letting down the team, not even yourself. Of course, yourself too, but mostly the team. That's why you absolutely just need a highly professional team right here.

They also have a good group Druzhina.

Yes, yes, like I said, if you have a team like that, there will be results, believe me. Only the team. The team and hard work, obviously, total dedication to your craft, that's all there is to it.

From the heart.

Again, I would prioritize discipline first.

Yes, discipline in any case. Like I said, sometimes I wake up in the morning, sometimes I go to bed late, either watching movies or TV shows. I really shouldn't watch them because if I start a new series, well, that's it, I am completely done for. I keep watching until I fall asleep to it. Even though I know I have to get up at 6 and my training starts at 8.

Unfortunately, yes.

Yeah, yeah. I look at the clock, it's already three in the morning, I need to go to bed. So, let's say I fall asleep, the alarm goes off, I get up and turn it off, and my first thought is—what training? Honestly, I just want to go back to sleep. And then, right away, you immediately start thinking to yourself that you're letting all of your coaches down. First of all, they wake up early to help me train. My sparring partners, they also get up early just to help me prepare. And here I am, such a great guy, oversleeping because I was watching TV shows. Alright, so what show made you oversleep? "Vikings." It wasn't that I actually ended up oversleeping this morning, but I was feeling incredibly tired and quite sleepy. I was wondering, did you manage to watch every single episode all the way through to the very final season?

Very nice. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for everything you have done. So, Oleg, now that your fight with Maga is finally over— what are your plans for the future? What's next? What's the story? What are people telling you? Look, let me put it very simply for you—just in a couple of words. Let's talk as true MMA veterans; after all, I have been deeply involved in this game for over 20 years now. I have known you since the early M-1 days, and I clearly remember your impressive fights after that long break. If you recall, you actually competed in our MMA Series. I have actually wanted to sign a promising, talented young heavyweight—well, relatively young, anyway—to our professional organization for a very long time now. You've had a lot of fights with us. So I want to understand—what's next? Look, it seems the Grand Prix is actually being canceled right now in the PFL, isn't it? The entire Grand Prix has been officially canceled.

Vadim Nemkov is the reigning champion. I'm the number one contender.

So what exactly, does that really mean you're just a nobody? Yes. Now.

Who is it you really will fight?

Last year's defending Grand Prix champion. Just look at who they have standing right over there?

Ferreira. Ferreira is holding down second place, and I'm currently first in line.

I don't know, Vassell I don't know now. Ferreira. There are no great ones, as it were. And there is Vadim, who is the champion. Who are you going to fight? For what?

I really want to fight against Denis.

Alright, that's the only fight there is. But does Denis want to fight?

I honestly do not know, I have not asked him yet.

I'm waiting for now. Has Denis had even a single fight after he won that prize money?

I don't think so. He was supposed to fight Vassell, but I think the fight got canceled or something.

And how are you supposed to fight? You won that kind of money, and now things have become more boring for you. How do you convince a person?

I haven't won the kind of money he has, so I don't know.

That is a very broad and general question, let's put it that way. Generally speaking, the entire fight is now over. Now, we are dealing with the young guy.

Alright, you made a pretty good amount of money, don't you think?

Yes. Kurik, I will definitely pay the money after all. You watch, and they'll probably make it a Grand Prix.

So as it turns out, the fight is over with zero injuries, no damage, and my mental state is excellent.

So far, still zero money.

Did you pour the foundation? Was it enough for the entire foundation?

Roof done.

You're a real champion. The hardest part of the process is that the interior finishing will be starting very soon. What do you think about that?

What do you honestly think about your current plan?

As for the PFL, it's still unclear. Since it's uncertain, I'm not planning to just sit around and do nothing. I mean... Basically, I'm ready to step into the cage to fight, for example, in Fight Nights, which is where I just competed. I know there's a guy named Kazbek Saidaliyev there. He's the current champion. We know each other. We met at training camps back in 2018. Yeah, we sparred together. He's a tough guy, hits well. For example, I'd like to fight him. Well, aside from the PFL. Then, who else do we have here? ACA just signed a brand new fighter... Wait, remind me, what was his name again?

I get it, you mean the professional fighter who got kicked out of the UFC.

Yeah, yeah, with Rizvan Kuniev. He clearly just had a fight, it seems. A Brazilian, my God.

So mighty.

Well, how is he? I'd like to fight in the sense that... Right now, I'd like to fight, first of all, for a good financial fee, and second, against a good opponent. I don't need to be paid well and then be given some random opponent. No, I'm ready to fight strong guys. If it's Fight Nights, for example, right now Kazbek Saidaliyev is the champion, I'd like to have a fight with him. If it's ACA, then with that Brazilian, I forgot his name.

Yeah, I just can't remember it, because after two or three losses, they removed him from the roster entirely. That's why I didn't think I'd need to remember his name, but it turns out he is actually still active.

Basically, just find something somewhere in Russia and have a fight. This is the MMA Series, where I once resumed my professional fighting career.

How about a potential rematch with Bigfoot Silva? Only using his hands.

Boxing

— Only with hands, yes. Or even better, with legs. How do you like that? Sure thing. Just start by kicking one another to see who kicks better. I really think it would be a great way to do it. At the very least, you'll have a ton of highlight reels. Not this endless takedown, transition, control, ground and pound. But you'll be landing kicks with your legs. And the only photo of you where you're kicking beautifully is actually from...

This is the single most iconic photo from the only kick ever .

Yeah, where are you going?

Caught the moment nice shot

That was with us. By the way, that was with us. It was incredibly pleasant during my series. Oleg, we hope that, first of all, it truly will indeed turn out to be exactly like that. Secondly, I would also ask, are you 35 years old? 34.

And you will turn 35 this year, right?

No, actually, I just turned 34 recently. But that is all the more reason; you see, you still have absolutely everything lying ahead of you. Do you have any desire to go to the UFC at all? For now, the UFC... It's changing in strange ways too, isn't it?

I know things are complicated there right now. It's complicated. It's complicated with fighters in the CIS, so I'm not ready to sit around for half a year without fights and wait until they sign me.

And exactly what kind of contract do you have with the PFL?

So, I was signed to a contract for two years. I fought last year, came out victorious, and now the terms are supposed to be reviewed and updated. In theory, I still have a year left on my contract. However, the terms should have been revised by now. But since they have not yet sent over any updates or said anything regarding the new terms, for now, it's all a bit confusing. That's why I'm saying this.

To be completely and utterly honest with you, I would strongly advise you to take action, and you are absolutely right that you definitely shouldn't just stand still or remain stagnant, but I am telling you this sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, as someone who has personally helped you navigate the journey from 8:1 all the way up to 17:1. Listen closely, it's not just that you were brought here, you earned your way into the MMA Series on your own. Maybe now, just a little bit... To be honest, for more than half a year already, it has really been quite a long and complicated story with everything going on regarding your health. You are still very young. No, what I am referring to are persistent chronic health issues.

– Maybe you really should just... – Usually, how does it go? Usually, until it really hits hard, people don't come back to it.

– Usually, yes. But maybe you should just listen? You won the Grand Prix, got good money. Now, even now... You just had a big fight, and now I had planned that... Maybe just a little bit... Wait a bit, what is the big rush? Now it is especially hot outside, too. You know, the hernias, the ribs, and all that kind of stuff.

I'll do it and start now.

– You need to fix everything.

– If the company still offers me something...

Come on, what are they going to offer you? They'll always offer you something. No one will let you go. You have this handicap. It's your age. I thought you were 35, but you're only 34. Now I'll get healthy, I'll cure everything. Where to? I'll be too healthy to fight.

So maybe, wait, here it is—a significant new turn in your career.

Just think about it for a moment, really. I honestly want to wish you this from the very bottom of my heart. Again, I am speaking as an older friend who has always treated you well. You know, we have always tried to do whatever we possibly could. And within our limited abilities, we have always helped you out however we could. So really, think about your health now, and what's meant for you won't pass you by. Moreover, again, if PFL matches the contract, you'll have to accept that contract. Accordingly, Vadik is still the champion for now.

Who exactly will you be facing off against?

Well, look at it this way, they'll give you some fight with Vassell, I'm not entirely sure, let's say you outwrestle Vassell in a very grueling and difficult match. Or maybe it's actually better to wait a little while now and then come back and just... Guys, here he is, welcome, Oleg Popov 2026. Perfect, right? I think that is absolutely right.

Well, no, that's probably how it's going to be. I'll take care of my health regardless. The fight happened just a few days ago.

Well, and then, if you really want to keep on competing for a very long time, you know yourself, you have 5 to 6 years ahead of you, if you want. And if not, you can just say, listen, well... Your son is growing up already, and soon enough he will be fighting. There will be some more money coming in for the family. So it's fine, everything will be okay, I think. You have to take care of your health. No, I'll handle it now.

I'll handle it either way. And at the same time, of course, I'll be waiting for something or finding things out. Of course, that's only natural.

It doesn't get in the way.

I have come here today to tell you that our time is almost up, so it is time for us to begin wrapping things up. I am letting you know that the time is almost gone, and it is time to finish everything.

Alright, thank you very much. We weren't aware of that. We really appreciate it.

Let's wrap up. As practice shows, defending against chokeholds is a problem for me, so in general, I don't like it when someone comes up from behind. Wait, hold on a second, don't say anything. Actually, I'm probably not going to say that on camera.

I don't get it, why does he keep saying 'promising'? Who said that? Who told you that? Was it Oleg, Beloserov? Don't listen to him. You shouldn't always trust the team. Let Popov explain everything to you later. Or perhaps you are wondering if Beloserov is the one who will tell you? Regardless, the sundial right here in front of me is telling me that it's time for us to wrap things up. So, we're finishing our program.