Andryushko’s Title Defense and Other Key Storylines at MMA Series-95

Hello everyone, friends! My name is Yulia Mirey. You are watching the weekly discussion on the mma-tv.com portal. On September 5th, the long-awaited MMA Series 95 tournament will finally take place. The main event will feature the reigning heavyweight champion belt holder, Dimitri Andryushko. Today, we are going to sit down and talk with both him and Fedor Ryzhov about the upcoming big event of our league, and what we can expect from the fights. Hi, Dim! Hello everyone!

Hi!

I just found out that you are currently away at a training camp. Could you tell me, what exactly are you doing there, where are you located, and who are you with?

Well, I'm training in Yekaterinburg, preparing for the fight.

So, tell me, who are you training with?

Well, the Arhangel Michael team is here, and Igor Glazkov is helping me with my preparation.

Well, okay, let's move on to discuss your upcoming fight then. I'm sure you've had the chance to carefully watch how your next opponent, Francimar Barroso, actually fought against Sergey Sengeym in his previous match. A split decision by the judges. Francimar won. However, Sergey's record was much more modest than yours. five to six compared to yours, thirteen to seven and two draws. How do you evaluate that fight in general? What can you say about it?

It's hard to evaluate the fight, or Francimar himself, for example, because Sergey, well, he works well as a southpaw, but anthropometrically he is taller than me.

Francimar is an older fighter, but still very dangerous. Do you have any special approach to this fight?

Yes, we are really focusing on our wrestling and fighting on our feet, while also working hard to get into better shape, so we are definitely seeing improvements in all aspects of our game.

Listen, tell me, is it mentally harder to win a championship belt or to defend it?

Well, to be honest, I either haven't really given it much thought yet, or, well, I suppose I'm just feeling quite calm and collected for the time being.

Well, you have to admit, he is a pretty serious opponent after all. What are you going to do? Well, it seems like nobody ever shares their plans, you know.

Well, I'll just work like always, I mean, it's a fight, I'll work on my feet. There will be some elements where we'll work in the clinch, in wrestling. I'll be striking, landing shots, doing my own thing, executing my game plan. Whatever works. For me, fights are more like celebrations. On the contrary, I go out there for a healthy opportunity to show what I can do. So I don't have this thing where I've stressed myself out, or worried about what's the most dangerous part, or anything like that. Now that you're throwing these questions at me, maybe I'll start thinking about it. I'll think about it at least a little bit.

Hey, listen, I'm curious. After you finally won that belt, when you're walking around the city, or maybe when you're going to sleep or waking up, do you ever stop and think to yourself, 'Damn, I'm actually a champion'?

No, I've already forgotten that's why I haven't been in the cage for a long time. I need to refresh my memory.

Where exactly do you even keep your belt stored away? Where is it hiding right now? Do you ever just take a moment to admire it?

Yeah, so I actually gave the belt to my brother. I took it over to him personally, so it's sitting at his place right now. See, my brother had a really serious injury, and back in the cage, I made sure to say that I dedicate this victory to him. I did that so he'd feel motivated to get better, get back on his feet, and that's exactly why I gave him the belt.

And if you take a moment to look at all the fighters across the world, honestly, who would you personally put in your top five?

For the top five, exactly which weight class are we talking about here?

Any of them, from all the fighters. Just from those who are currently competing actively.

Islam Makhachev, yes, he recently confirmed his belt again, won at 77 kilograms. There you go, a champion. Very strong, very serious. Petr Yan, also, by the way, he trains in Yekaterinburg. Well, both in Thailand and in Yekaterinburg. Petr Yan, a very strong fighter. Then the heavyweights, of course, since I compete in the heavyweight division myself, we will definitely be watching. Our Russian fighters are doing quite well lately. I am talking about Pavlovich and Volkov. They are moving up very steadily, but unfortunately, they aren't being given title shots. There is actually a huge, sprawling galaxy of fighters waiting there for us. So, that was three spots we've covered so far, right?

You put Pavlovich and Volkov, let's say, in third place, we have two more left.

Who is the champion right now? Take Aspinall, for example. Well, let's consider him the absolute strongest heavyweight in the division today. After all, he currently holds the belt. Well, Jon Jones. I truly believe that, based on all of his impressive skills, he is undoubtedly the strongest fighter of them all. There you go, that makes five.

Do you ever run into Petr Yan in Yekaterinburg?

Well, he does come to training, and we cross paths when we are there, but as for anything personal or outside of that, it's limited. He has his own business, and I have my own business to manage. The only thing is, we played tag once, but Petya hits hard, he poked me in the gut, just bam-bam, right in there, good.

I truly wish you victory, and I hope you manage to successfully defend and keep your belt. I want you to train well, get through your training camps without any issues, and please, take care of yourself so you don't get sick this time. That's it, thank you for the interview.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to you all for your support. I am truly grateful for everything you have done today.

Fyodor.

Hi, Yulia, it is great to see you. Greetings.

Let's start our analysis with the main event. We hope that Dimitry will be in good health this time, and that he will finally meet Francimar. A fight that you have wanted to organize for a long time. You know these opponents' fights well. What do you think yourself, how might the fight go?

Actually, a whole lot here is going to depend on what kind of physical shape each of the athletes is in right now. Especially Francimar Barroso. Because, after all, he is quite an older guy compared to the rest. It was a long layoff. He fought against Sangchaem. But, to put it mildly, the whole experience wasn't exactly fun, let's just put it that way. We'll have to wait and see how he manages to prepare himself for the upcoming fight with Andryushko. Dima, on the contrary, is currently in very good shape. He is gaining a lot of momentum. And, in my opinion, he has every opportunity to defend his belt. We shall see. Perhaps Francimar's experience will allow him to surprise both us and Andryushko with something.

Francimar gives the impression of being a cunning fighter.

He naturally won't be throwing a huge number of strikes in this fight. I think he will act according to the situation, or rather, he won't waste his potential too much. As I said again, the man is over forty years old now. Nevertheless, despite his age, he still maintains a very decent winning streak. He has never lost in the heavyweight division, specifically competing in the heavyweight division, at 93 plus. All his losses are at under 93 kilograms.

And Dima, for his part, is a straightforward person and fights the same way. But he won't be preparing anything particularly new. Overall, Francimar has the opportunity to outplay him precisely through experience and cunning.

Dimitry has grown and matured quite a lot over the course of his last few fights. He has become a much more thoughtful fighter. After the intense fight with Viktor Klyuev, we sat down and had a long, in-depth conversation. We made sure to do that together with both of the fighters present. Dimitry drew the right conclusions. He started thinking deeply and reflecting much more on the situation. It is becoming quite clear what Barroso is planning to do next. The real question now is who will be better prepared for the challenge, and whose strategic plan will ultimately turn out to be more interesting, effective, and correct in the long run.

Actually, I really wanted to ask you a bit more about Klyuev. You know, Klyuev is the person who managed to win against Andryushko. So, looking ahead, let's say if Dima successfully retains his championship belt, who do you think is the next contender to step up and try to take it away from him?

Well, honestly, we do not actually have that many tournaments, so it is quite hard to talk about contenders, whether they are legitimate or otherwise. That's why it will be decided differently each time, honestly. Theoretically, I only see that Sergey Dyakonov might want to return, simply because there aren't really any other people like that nearby. Perhaps we will change our strategy and, quite possibly, we will look to attract some other people. This is because those who might have good achievements elsewhere, but haven't competed in our league yet, are worth considering, because, frankly speaking, we need to do something. And after the fight, we will think about this topic.

And is Sergey Dyakonov actually talking about returning to the team?

No, he doesn't want to return, he likes everything as it is. He's a bit tired, he's an adult too, he's just tired. And he probably doesn't want to go through another battle, war, or preparation. So I don't think he will return. But, on the other hand, if we could just manage to please him with something, it is quite possible that he might actually want to be pleased.

Let's move on to the co-main event. At the moment, it's Maxim Namitov versus Denilson Mattos. Let's start with Maxim. He hasn't been competing with us for long, he's only had one fight, but it was bold, fast, and interesting. I understand why he appeared in our card again, right in the co-main event. As for his opponent, he was with us in 2021, if I'm not mistaken, for the last time, and suffered a defeat back then. Though, it was against Yakimov, a very strong fighter. Then he didn't compete for about 4 years. Now he's appeared again. Why him specifically? Why exactly this guy?

First of all, you can't say that Denilson Matos hasn't been competing. He has been actively fighting in various other places. So you can't say he hasn't been competing. Plus, it is worth noting that he was actually working alongside his wife there. Savelyeva is a good fighter in the 57 kg category. In principle, I really do think that he had plenty of things to keep him busy. Regarding Denilson, we have actually been planning to work with him for quite a long time now. For certain specific reasons, I hadn't been able to do it before. But now, thankfully, those reasons are completely gone, so there are really no problems at all anymore. Accordingly, I am now happily reconnecting with all of my old acquaintances and professional contacts, and I am also gladly extending a warm invitation to those dedicated individuals who have long wanted to stand up and fight for our cause but simply could not do so for various reasons until now. Namitov is a fighter who has performed in the Pop-MMA circuit for a long time, so naturally, he has certain technical issues related to that background. But, again, he is a flashy fighter, and in any case, it must be admitted that he is quite talented. And I honestly think that if he manages to beat Denilson Matos, then we are going to have some really interesting options in the 66-kilogram division that we can sit down and consider a little bit later on. And if Denilson Matos wins, we can also consider some options.

Yes, it is going to be incredibly interesting to watch this upcoming fight, because Maxim, of course, looked absolutely flashy, even against the backdrop of our already familiar stars; he really lit it up out there. Well, I'm hoping for another first-round knockout; what could be more beautiful, only a knockout in the final seconds before the end of the fight.

I honestly can't say that, because I'm really hoping for a good fight, a beautiful, exciting fight, and I naturally wish both of the fighters the very best of success.

Alright, let's move on to the next fight. These are the girls. We haven't had women's fights for a long time. I'm excited, although it's always nerve-wracking for them. Well, Anastasia Lobunskaya will be making her debut, her very first 1, while Evgeniya Potemkina already has a 2-2 record. Tell us a little about these young women, what are you expecting?

Evgeniya has a truly impressive amount of experience fighting in the stand-up. She has had a decent number of professional fights, not only in MMA, but also across various other martial arts disciplines. Strictly speaking, she is already an established fighter in her own right. To give you a better idea of her background, Lobunskaya serves as a dedicated sparring partner for Diana Pogosyan, who is a prominent competitor in Karate Combat. Because of this high-level training environment, her technical ability and fighting style are well known to everyone in the industry. So it will be interesting to see how her sparring partner makes her debut with us. And, strictly speaking, we are going to see what might come of this later on.

Let's move on to the next fight. Well Oliveira versus Evgeny Tabarovsky. Unfortunately, Evgeny has competed with us several times and lost every time. And Well Oliveira, as we remember, is also quite a big guy, huge. What are your expectations for this fight?

Well, listen, to be honest, I really don't know what kind of shape Well is in right now. He's training over there with the same guy, Badao, in his gym, so maybe he's gained some ground there. Well, again, we'll just have to wait and see. It seems to me that Tabarovsky has every chance to show himself in all his glory if he can abstract himself from certain moments. Regarding Oliveira, it is hard to understand the situation he is in. He is a total wildcard who can lose to anyone. Just as easily, he can turn around and give the absolute toughest fights to guys like Vlad Kovalev Belaz, and Oleg Dadonov. Everyone beat him with great difficulty. They really had to invest a significant amount of time and effort to finally secure the win. Still, there is always the formidable Pulyaev to consider, who is currently competing in the UFC. He knocked him out there pretty quickly. Probably, a lot will depend on Tabarovsky's mindset and Oliveira's mindset. Each of them will fight to the end, I think. Because these victories are very important for them. For both of them. So it will definitely be an exciting fight.

Well Oliveira is living in Russia now, as I understand it, and training with Badao. And he is currently on a five-fight losing streak.

So Zhenya has options. Different losses, different situations, different moments. If, I repeat, he lost, for example, to Oleg Dadonov in a grueling third round. He lost to Vlad Belaz, who was moving like a classic fighter. But in the end, then two... rounds he just tortured him in the grappling and then somewhere at the end he submitted him too. Or finished him, I don't even remember anymore. So, Well is an unpredictable fighter, dangerous precisely because of his unpredictability and very awkward to deal with. And the question is whether Tabarovsky will adapt to him or not. Or rather, it is not so much a question of whether he will adapt to him, but instead, whether Tabarovsky will force Oliveira to play by his rules or not. That is exactly what we are going to see and find out. We are going to put Tabarovsky's mental toughness to the test. And in turn, we will see Oliveira's mental toughness tested as well.

Our rising star, Andrey Vasilenko, will also be present at the upcoming tournament. He is set to compete against Dmitry Popovich in what promises to be a thrilling match. We all know Vasilenko well, we root for him, and we truly love his style. But as for his opponent, what kind of person is this mysterious challenger from Belarus?

He is a bare-knuckle fighter from Belarus. Vasilenko will fight under MMA Gloves Series rules. It won't be pure MMA. It will be a stand-up fight with all strikes allowed. Actually, Vasilenko is getting pretty tired of constantly hearing people say that he only wrestles and controls his opponents all the time. Or, I don't know, maybe in the case of Mikhailidi, for example, it just feels like an unfair criticism. He doesn't really let himself be controlled. I wanted to, yes, he wants to. Well, in general, everyone wanted to. He said, let's just have a stand-up fight here, let's see how this fight ends. I really hope that he'll be able to show us that, well, perhaps some kind of early finish to this whole thing. Or he'll show an early finish later, I don't know. I hope it will be more fun somehow.

The next fight. Here we already know both guys. Igor Konstantinov, who has been competing with us for a long time, against Gleb Mikhalev, who appeared not so long ago but has already made a bright name for himself. What are we expecting here? Igor, as is known, is a good jiu-jitsu practitioner. Gleb Mikhalev is no worse. What do you think will happen here?

How did Mikhalev make a name for himself? By jumping into a guillotine three separate times against Nersesyan, who is a specialist in guillotine chokes, he eventually made such a critical error that Nersesyan successfully choked him out. I think that, for the time being, he is only really known for that specific moment. It was a strange decision when he chose to grapple with a base wrestler instead of keeping the fight on his feet, which is exactly what happened in his very first fight against a genuinely good opponent, by the way. Therefore, it's hard to say for now. This is an important fight for Mikhalev as well. And it's an important fight for Konstantin. Konstantin is always performing on the edge, let's put it that way. Not only that, he also constantly breaks his hands. I really hope that this time around, everything will at least go smoothly without any injuries. And I would also love to see a spectacular early finish. Fewer mistakes from both sides, because both Konstantinov and Mikhalev, in general, make a huge number of mistakes in a fight. That is exactly what they are currently missing to reach a truly different level of opposition and class. I sincerely hope they are drawing some serious conclusions from the specific areas where they are failing at the moment.

But Konstantinov already has one iron hand, as far as I understand. So, at least, we can be calm about that one in this fight.

Unless there is some kind of additional, specialized equipment installed in it that would allow him to deliver truly monstrous blows, lean heavily on the arm, perform backflips, or perhaps something else entirely. I sincerely hope that his coach, Igor Egorov, hasn't achieved any major, notable successes yet in the field of... well, in the field of this specific discipline.

Endoprosthetics surgery.

Endoprosthetics, yes, that is exactly what we are talking about. Therefore, I hope this will be a fair fight, a contest where everyone involved can fully utilize their exclusively human qualities and intuition, free from any sort of strange or otherworldly interference.

We wish the guys victory. We do. Without injuries.

All the best.

Yes, all the best, without any of the bad. Aldam Aldamov versus Artem Gudkov. In the two-on-two fight, Artem already choked out Aldam Aldamov. It would seem everything is clear. Why did this fight even happen?

Well, because, in principle, everyone was saying from the beginning, as I understand it, that from Aldamov's side they were saying that Why do you even need this 2-on-2 setup? Just fight 1-on-1. And look, Gudkov is a talented young guy, and Aldamov is also a very promising young guy. They probably really want to get in there and test each other out properly. And I am sure that this will be an uncompromising battle. And it is very interesting to see how it goes and how it ends. The guys have a small record, but an excellent amateur background. So, this is... actually, a very high level. It is probably only in our country that we see people with records of zero to zero, one to zero, two to one, two to zero, one to zero, or even zero to one, all happening at once. Only these elite individuals can put on such truly monstrous performances, in a very good way, that they can actually win. I am thinking of guys with a solid record of twenty-five wins, nineteen knockouts, and eight losses. Gudkov recently demonstrated this impressive level of skill at the 'Games of the Future' event. Let us wait and see what kind of performance he can show us right now.

Rustam Dzhaichiev versus Magomed Kudiev. Who are these guys? What do you expect from them?

Magomed Kudiev is a promising fighter representing the 'Kamelot' club, which comes highly recommended by our good friend Pavel. In fact, Pavel rates his skills and potential very highly indeed. It will be genuinely interesting to see how he performs and handles himself when he finally steps into the ring to fight. Dzhaichiev is a guy from Belarus, a competitor who, as far as I know, wrestles exceptionally well. This will be a classic matchup of a person who likes, and clearly prefers, to fight standing up against a person who tries to take the fight to the ground. Let's see how it ends.

So, we have Zurab Akhmedov going up against Sardor Babayanov.

Zurab Akhmedov has been suggested as a potential player for our league for a very long time. We are thrilled that we have finally managed to set up his highly anticipated debut. There are a lot of expectations surrounding him. Let's see how he performs in the fight against Sardor. And after that, we'll draw conclusions about what we can do with him. Sardor, for his part, is also a really good guy to be around. And honestly, I think he's going to put up a good fight out there. And I can certainly say the same thing about him as well. It's going to be interesting to watch how it all unfolds. And, perhaps, he will also be able to prove himself in our league after this fight is over.

The fans are asking. When will we see Bobryshev again?

I think we'll see him at the December tournament in Moscow, which will take place on December 12th.

Is the identity of the opponent not clear to you yet?

It's all roughly clear, but we won't talk about it just yet, because anything can still happen at this stage.

Alright. Fedor, thank you very much for the discussion. We're looking forward to the tournament. Friends, please keep an eye on our social media channels. Goodbye.

Goodbye.