“They beat me for 9 minutes.” Shtyrkov lost to Mineev and in 25 days he must fight with the former UFC fighter

December 3, 2022 Ivan Shtyrkov fought according to MMA rules with Asylzhan Bakhytzhanuly and achieved a labor victory. On March 7, he lost to Magomed Ismailov according to boxing rules, and on May 13 he won a kickboxing fight against Pyotr Romankevich. On August 26, Shtyrkov was knocked out by basic boxer Konstantin Erokhin.

Ivan Shtyrkov / Photo: © RCC

On November 18, in Sochi, Ivan entered the ring against Vladimir Mineev according to the rules of kickboxing (where Mineev has 25 fights in professional versions alone) and lost by decision of the judges. When Shtyrkov entered the ring, he already had a date for the next possible fight: on December 15, they were ready to see him in Yekaterinburg in a fight according to MMA rules against former UFC fighter Maxim Grishin. The positive thing about this story is that Shtyrkov promised to finally accept or not accept the fight with Grishin only after meeting with Mineev. At the same time, Ivan left the locker room fresh and smiling.

Ivan Shtyrkov / Photo: © Vadim Tikhomirov / Match TV

— From some fighters you can hear such a thing, UFC champion Georges St-Pierre spoke about it most clearly: “I like to train, I like to improve myself, I like to lose weight, communicate with people… I don’t just like to go out and fight.” Didn’t you feel similar before the fight with Vladimir Mineev?

“Very often I experience similar sensations, and I catch myself thinking that I don’t have the aggression to fight at all. And it is needed for MMA, for kickboxing. Wrestling, sambo is a slightly different philosophy. Therefore, when a person has this healthy fighting aggression, it’s a little easier for him. He’s waiting for a fight. And I really like to keep the routine, but going out and fighting is a different mental level. It doesn’t give me any mental pleasure.

– For understanding – Petr Yan from your hall, this will just be a different psychotype?

– Yes. You somehow feel from these people that for them fighting is the sport itself.

— Were you surprised how much bigger Vladimir Mineev is?

– Yes, I wouldn’t say and I can’t look at it from the outside. He is taller, but 90% of my opponents are taller than me. In terms of dimensions, I removed a little bit of excess, drained the water, dried some fat, and Vova was left with free mass.

Erko June / Photo: © Fight Nights

— You had many fights according to different rules, where did you have to endure the greatest pain?

— I think that these were just low kicks from Pyotr Romankevich. So they give a cumulative effect. The round worked, it seemed fine. I sat down, stood up, and already felt that my leg was swollen. They say it’s the same with the liver, but this is quite serious.

— Who ends up hitting the low kick harder: Vladimir Mineev or Pyotr Romankevich?

— Vladimir didn’t land a single low kick today. He hit, but we developed good distance to defend ourselves.

“This is not the first time I’ve seen you smile after a lost battle.” Can you explain why?

— The battle is lost, but how to perceive it? Did you want to catch me with tears? Let’s be honest: I was an underdog, plus the last fight with Kostya [Ерохиным], plus I didn’t come for my sport, plus there was pressure. So, I think the result that I showed in the ring should encourage me. I always want to bring home victory, but it doesn’t always work out. So the most important thing in this sport is to show a worthy fight for the fans, for the spectators. I think I did it.

Ivan Shtyrkov / Photo: © RCC

— You said that you will accept the fight with Maxim Grishin, which is being prepared for you on December 15, or you will refuse it, starting from this fight. What can you say now?

– Give it a couple of days and there will be an answer. I can’t say now.

— Is this a question about an emotional state or a physical one?

– Just need to understand. Now while I have adrenaline, after the fight everything is boiling. There is no pain, and tomorrow I will wake up and anything can happen. And the emotional state has long been at a low level in terms of charge. I think that in any case, RCC will not offend Maxim Grishin. I mean in my obligations to him. I think that he will not be dissatisfied.

— You fought with Vladimir Mineev, whom no one has taken to the ground for two years. Did you feel that it would be easier for you with small gloves and the ability to translate?

“You could feel it all during the fight: the ring, kickboxing, Vladimir Mineev and me. I felt that I was out of my depth, even though I had a fight with Romankevich. I even talked to the guys from my team and noticed that Vladimir felt so confident because he was on his own territory. He has been doing this since childhood, he understands why they give points. If we had a sambo match, I would probably feel more confident. Even in MMA it would be more convenient: get close, hook up, translate. Kickboxing is one of the most dynamic striking sports. Today there were a lot of knockouts throughout the evening, I didn’t want to replenish this piggy bank.

Ivan Shtyrkov (left) / Photo: © RCC

— You said that your fee would be about 10 million rubles. Did they give them to you? (Shtyrkov laughs and immediately grabs his rib – ed.) Is this how the fight feels?

– Yes Yes. Well, they beat me for nine minutes. As we said, nine of the most precious minutes in life. We seem to have agreed on the timing, so I hope [на выплату].

Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on the Match TV and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.