"Fanatics Tend To Be The Loudest And Most Aggressive". Interview With UFC Fighter Borshchev

On May 12th at the UFC event in St. Louis, Russian lightweight fighter Viacheslav Borshchev will face American Chase Hooper in the main event of the preliminary card.

In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Borshev talked about:

• his upcoming fight with Chase Hooper;
• his relationships with opponents after the fight;
• his thoughts on the fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier;
• his opinion on street fights;
• the phenomenon of Alex Pereira;
• why unreasonable people are the loudest.

- How are you feeling before your next fight?

- I'm feeling great, I had a good night's sleep. So far everything is going according to plan.

- You have received three bonuses in five UFC fights. Is that a goal you set before each fight?

- Yes. I have been setting that goal since my first fight. Once I found out about the bonus system, that's what I have been chasing.

- Do bright fights make you stand out as a fighter and make you recognizable among American fans and UFC management?

- Possibly. It's hard for me to judge yet. I can still walk the streets without being super popular.

- What is your impression of your opponent Chase Hooper?

If I think back to my past in the Russian national team, in the first few years they laughed at me and called me a fighting nerd. Likewise, Hooper doesn't look very intimidating, but he is actually very dangerous. He is strong in things that make him very uncomfortable and he is a complete opposite to me. He doesn't do much striking, but he is young and strong enough to cause chaos. If we end up on the ground, he will be dangerous from the bottom, which is extremely unconventional for me as someone from the Alpha Male team. No one in our team pulls guard, so if he does that, it will be a big problem for me.

- Given the specifics of your opponent, did you focus more on wrestling and grappling?

- I always focus on them in the off-season because I am weak in wrestling and grappling. I train them all the time.

- Did you notice any resemblance between Hooper and Russian fighter Roman Kopylov?

- There is something. It's not very noticeable in person, but you can see it in photos.

- How often do former opponents become friends in your experience?

- I get along fine with everyone. I stay in touch with the kickboxers I fought with. We are all in this together, and fighting is our job. If someone treats me with respect, I respond with double respect. If someone comes at me with negativity, I respond with double negativity. That's my simple principle.

- Judging by the photos, Urijah Faber is in great shape. Recently, Jose Aldo successfully returned to fights. Does your friend have any desire to shake off the rust?

- I hope not. Urijah is an unconventional fighter. He's not just a guy who fights and that's it. He has his own team, and a lot of businesses in different fields. He's everywhere. He is in great shape, constantly training with us and using his jiu-jitsu, but I don't think he has the opportunity to fully dedicate himself to preparing for a fight, so I don't want him fighting.

- You had interviews with icons like Ariel Helwani and Michael Bisping. Which one made the biggest impression on you?

- I already knew Michael personally, saw him often, and felt comfortable around him. Moreover, he's a fighter too and he was always around somewhere. With Ariel, it was a bit nerve-wracking. I understood that it was a new level. He is basically the biggest MMA journalist in America, excluding Joe Rogan, who isn't a journalist in the classic sense. The conversation with Ariel really left the most impression on me.

- You mentioned you wouldn't mind going to Dagestan for wrestling training. Do you already have a date set?

- I hope it's just a matter of time. When people look at athletes they don't realize that we live simple lives. I have a family, a mortgage, and making it happen isn't that simple, especially when you have kids to raise too. My son doesn't even have a passport to travel. I need a free month and a substantial amount of money to pull this off.

- What do you think about the upcoming fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier? Can the American fighter compete with the champion?

- I think it's an awesome fight. It's great that it was arranged. I'll be interested to see Makhachev in the stand-up against Poirier, but if I were Islam, I wouldn't spend any time there at all because the American is very dangerous in the stand-up. Unless something happens or there’s a lucky punch, Makhachev will finish him on the ground, with all due respect to Poirier's skills.

- What do you think about Dustin's desire to have his little daughter sit in the front row at UFC 302, in a fight where he could be knocked out, beaten up, or choked out? Would you invite your children to watch your bloody fights?

- I don't even like to invite any relatives, let alone children. I don’t like when they call me, telling me how they're going to watch it. It's my circle, my party, and I'm at work. The only one who was by my side was my father. He was with me when I needed it most and I felt his support. Now, I would like everyone to stay at home and relax.

- What is your attitude towards fist fighting? I think you could also be successful in this discipline.

- The only thing I don't like about fist fights is the high injury rate. MMA is also a dangerous sport in terms of injuries, and you can get injuries incompatible with life, but fist fights are not even close to the level of injury. You're bound to get injured there. I've seen how Chad Mendes looked after a fist fight. It was terrible. He was a mess. When I was a cornerman for a few guys, I was shocked by the condition of their faces. I really respect these guys, but only a very impressive sum of money would motivate me to do something like that.

- What do you think about the talk of Alex Perreira fighting for the heavyweight title and his chances of becoming the UFC's first three-division champion? It seems like he's being promoted as a new star due to their scarcity?

- I think it's fair. I used to hate him because of his fights with Artem Vakhitov, who, in my opinion, beat him twice. I really don't like Pereira's style, but I remember fighting him at an LFA tournament where he made his MMA debut. Now he's a UFC double champion, and I'm still trying to figure out how to wrestle. He deserves credit for being a great fighter. After being knocked out by Israel Adesanya, he got up, went to do his job, and won another title. We could debate endlessly about whether there's a crisis in his weight class in the UFC, but he has done impressive work, and I'm very happy for him.

- Is Magomed Ankalaev right in trying to negotiate a title fight with Pereira and setting conditions with his team? They want to fight in a specific location and for a good purse. Perhaps it's better to first win the title and then dictate terms?

- One must understand what goals they are pursuing. Perhaps it's a professional approach. I’m a simple man in that respect, despite my vast experience. I'm too lazy to deal with these things, so I just ask for money and the opportunity to fight. I notice that high-level professionals pay very close attention to every detail. It inspires and motivates me when they focus on the canvas, on the gloves. It's cool, but I can't focus on such details.

- After the statement "I fight for money, not for Russia," you received backlash from fans, although you just honestly voiced what many think. Why has the topic of patriotism become so acute in Russia recently?

- I didn't notice that many people reacted strongly. The first time, people didn't really understand me. I recently talked with my friends, and we came to the conclusion that sometimes it feels like you're surrounded by idiots and lunatics, but that's not true. This impression is created because fanatics are usually the loudest and most aggressive. In America, you look at the Democrats and are horrified by how many freaks there are. They look insane. It’s weird how they are even human, but then you realize they're just the loudest. If you look at people on the street, the majority will turn out to be reasonable. It's just that idiots are the loudest and create all the noise. I think all reasonable people understood me. It has nothing to do with patriotism or lack of patriotism. It's a matter of hypocrisy, and I'm just honest with myself and with you.