Vladimir took pity on the experienced Brazilian, despite the gross violation. But he paid dearly for it.
Vladimir Mineev / Photo: © Vadim Tikhomirov / Match TV
On September 15, the long-awaited return of Vladimir Mineev will take place in a fight against the experienced Brazilian Rafael Carvalho. During his career, the Russian fighter repeatedly met with representatives of this country, and Volzhanin remembered one such confrontation for a long time.
The fight against the Brazilian veteran unexpectedly ended in defeat for the Russian after a fatal mistake he made even before entering the ring.
“I will do my best to win”
By the end of 2016, Mineev had eight fights under MMA rules, and all of them ended in his favor. In December, Volzhanin was supposed to add another victory. At least that’s what it looked like on paper.
The Russian athlete’s opponent at the Fight Nights Global 56 tournament was supposed to be the Brazilian Maikel Falcao. He performed in Bellator and UFC, but at that time the fighter was already 35 years old, and his record left much to be desired. In particular, Maikel was inferior to Mamed Khalidov, Alexander Shlemenko, and Vyacheslav Vasilevsky.
Vladimir took the preparation seriously and professionally. He believed in victory and was eager to finally go out to fight.
“I arrived in Vladivostok seven days before the fight to undergo acclimatization. I can say that I have fully recovered and feel good. I will do my best to defeat my opponent. It doesn’t matter if it’s by submission or any other way. I go into battle against Maikel with gusto. Consider the day of the fight to be the most joyful for me in the last month and a half, because all this time I was working in the gym,” said Mineev.
But Falcao’s professionalism was highly questionable. The Brazilian representative arrived at the weigh-in with four extra kilos. Despite the opponent’s large advantage, Mineev agreed to fight.
Vladimir Mineev and Maikel Falcao / Photo: © Fight Nights Press Service
“That was my fault”
In the first seconds, Falcao rushed at Mineev, grabbed him and pressed him tightly to himself. In this way, the Brazilian hoped to neutralize the Russian fighter’s advantage in size. The clinch of athletes without much activity lasted two minutes. During this time, spectators saw only rare knee strikes.
As soon as Vladimir managed to escape from his opponent’s tenacious embrace, he launched a quick series of blows. The Brazilian collapsed on the floor, but Volzhanin did not finish him off. He understood perfectly well that a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not given just like that. In the fight, Maikel would have an advantage, so the Russian hit from a standing position.
When the Brazilian finally got up, Mineev’s attacks continued with renewed vigor. The Russian outright interrupted his opponent. During the remaining time of the first round, Falcao found himself on the floor twice, but each time Mineev refused to fight on the ground.
The second round started better for the Brazilian – he scored a takedown. On the ground, Maikel looked preferable, but the referee elevated the fighters due to lack of activity. It seemed that this would benefit the Russian, but he did not work as actively as at the beginning of the fight, and began to miss more.
The last minutes of the second segment were also a struggle. Falcao again scored a successful takedown and had the initiative.
Vladimir Mineev and Mikel Falcao Photo: © Fight Nights
The third round began with a mutual exchange of blows, but at the first opportunity the Brazilian took the fight to the ground, where Mineev looked weaker. Volzhanin had to use a trick to escape the Brazilian’s attacks. He climbed behind the ropes to get a break.
Only in the last minute of the round did the fighters find themselves in a position that was convenient for Vladimir, but Falcao retained more strength and looked fresher. He provoked the Russian to attack with impunity, but the exhausted Mineev was breathing heavily and had difficulty staying on his feet.
According to the results of the fight, two of the three judges gave victory to the Brazilian fighter. Another referee saw a draw. This defeat was the first for Mineev in mixed martial arts. After the fight, he was disappointed with what happened.
Vladimir Mineev and Mikel Falcao Photo: © Fight Nights
“The man came out against me with a five-kilogram advantage, and in fact, at that moment I gave him victory by agreeing to this fight. I could have refused and said that a kilogram or two was fine, but five… It was my mistake, I closed my eyes to it and thought that I could handle it anyway. Therefore, I think that first of all I lost to myself,” Mineev said in an interview with Fight Night Global.
Five months later, these fighters fought again. Here Vladimir already took convincing revenge, winning by technical knockout in the first round.
Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts and boxing tournaments are held on the federal channel “Match TV” and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
2023-09-13 19:42:02
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