On June 22 at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a fight between two Russian heavyweights, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov, will take place. They used to train in the same gym several years ago and now hold the third and fifth positions in the UFC rankings.
Bet on MMA with 1xBetIn an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Pavlovich:
- couldn't find any advantages in his upcoming fight with Alexander Volkov;
- canceled the rise of the machines that his opponent fears;
- admitted that he wanted a fight with Ciryl Gane;
- discussed topics he could talk about with Jon Jones;
- evaluated Vadim Nemkov's prospects in the UFC;
- compared the importance of the title and money.
"Why wasn't my fee increased?"
– Sergei, what advantages do you see in your upcoming fight with Alexander Volkov?
– I don't see any advantages at all. Even from a ranking perspective. There are no advantages, but it is what it is. In any case, we need to fight. I need to win.
– Will a win over Volkov make you a title contender?
– I haven't heard anything about it.
– Did the UFC have to increase the fee to get your agreement?
– You're a good journalist. You should ask this question to the UFC directly. Why didn't that happen?
– That's the manager's job. "What, you don't have money for my fighter? Then he'll get injured in training tomorrow and won't be able to fight."
– Everything is according to the contract. No changes.
– What did you talk about with Volkov when you met in Saudi Arabia?
– We exchanged a few words. We said hello, asked, "How are you?", took some photos. That was it.
"Man will always be ahead of machines"
– You’ve been fighting foreigners for a long time. Now you're fighting your compatriot. Do you see this as something new or unpleasant?
– In professional sports, it's a normal thing. It's not about whether it's a compatriot or not. If we're in the same league, we will meet sooner or later. It's normal.
– How did your last sparring session with Alexander go?
– That's a tough question. A lot of time has passed. I don't remember. Too many events have happened, and a lot of work has been done.
– If we’re not talking about your last sparring, what are your general impressions from working with Alexander?
- All the sparring sessions were tough. It was never easy.
– Artificial intelligence predicted Volkov's victory in the second round. Alexander was pleased, but he is scared of the machine uprising if he wins. How about you?
– You've seen the movie "Terminator." Man will always be ahead of machines.
– Considering Alexander's fears, should you go to the staredown dressed as the Terminator?
– So you’re both a journalist and a PR manager. Okay.
– But really, why not? That would get many views and be memorable.
– You should understand, I have my own style. This is not my story. I have other plans for life.
"I expected to fight Ciryl Gane"
– Is Volkov an inconvenient fighter for you?
Volkov is a high-level, versatile athlete. He can box and wrestle. You need to take him very seriously. There is no place for underestimation. You have to be ready for everything and be on the edge. It won't be a cakewalk; there’s going to be a real war.
Sergei Pavlovich
– What does your intuition tell you about the outcome of your fight?
– Intuition is one thing, but when the cage closes, everything is determined on the spot. I don't read tarot cards; I'm fully prepared for the fight. I came here to go out and battle.
– How many fights did the UFC offer you in the last six months?
– I fought everyone they offered me. I was a replacement for Jon Jones twice. Against Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic. And I stepped in as a replacement. But in the end I fought with Tom Aspinall. The only thing is, I always said I didn't want to fight my compatriots. The UFC is a global league, and there are many athletes from different countries here.
– Were there any new offers after the fight with Aspinall?
– We were expecting to fight Ciryl Gane. But it didn't come to negotiations with him.
"I lost when I went out on short notice"
– What led to your defeat against Tom Aspinall?
There's a lot of things to talk about. The fact is that I took the fight, and I have no excuses for the loss. I lost. Nothing to be done about that. Everything needs to be reviewed. I am certain we will meet again, so I need to work on my mistakes.
Sergei Pavlovich
– Is there a parallel between the two losses in your career?
– Yes, they were both short-notice fights.
– Will you avoid another short-notice fight?
– I’ll go only if there's a good paycheck.
– Does Jon Jones rightfully hold the UFC champion title?
– You see, there are games everywhere. Jones is an outstanding athlete and so on. He holds the belt. There are many young hungry fighters ready to compete for the title. But the UFC has its own plans. We can rant all we want, but they will do as they please.
– Will your fight with Volkov settle the question of who is the best heavyweight in Russia?
– We'll see. There are other organizations with strong guys. As for the UFC, the question will definitely be settled.
"Nemkov could easily be in the top 5 of the UFC"
– You trained with Vadim Nemkov. Then there's also Evgeniy Goncharov.
– I worked well with Vadim. It wasn’t even about sparring. But they are strong and versatile guys. They have their strong qualities. I can't say anything bad about them. They are at a high level.
– Nemkov complained about the situation in the PFL. No fights. What are the prospects for Vadim in the UFC?
– He could easily be in the top 5. The question is about the possibility of his transfer. We will act according to the situation. Then we’ll see about the transfer.
– Talking about short notice, Ikram Aliskerov will fight in the main event of the evening, changing time zones and the number of rounds. Is he risking a lot?
– He is a professional in his field. If he's doing something, he's thought it through. I doubt he agreed just like that.
"I’ll tell Jones: “Give me some tea, but don't hit me. What are you doing?'"
– Where did you have your training camp? And with whom?
– In Moscow. There were tough and tall guys. Shamil, Daud, Alex. I can give you their names, but I can't remember their family names. We call each other by first names. The team was good. Sincere thanks to the guys for their help. It was the "Alliance" gym. If Ashab is watching, thank him for organizing this story too.
– Did you brush up on your English to challenge Jon Jones?
– I'm trying. I can talk to him a little. "Give me some water, let’s have some tea, but don't hit me. What are you doing?"
– And finally, a message to Jones or the UFC: "Give money, title, or everything at once."
– You're all about the money. It’s not about this. First comes the fight, then everything else.
– Is the title more important than money?
– I won't lie. The title and money are equally important. Everything should be together. Don't put money first. Everything works together. I want both the title and financial issues to be resolved. There is no such thing as money being the most important.
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