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Photo from Instagram fmr.mma
The first mixed martial arts championship for foreign citizens was held in the building of the Russian State Physical Education University in Moscow with the support of the Federation of Russian Immigrants (FMR). As explainedwhich is organized to acclimate and socialize labor migrants from different countries in Russia and improve their sportsmanship.
Such a competition is an unusual event for Russia, and apparently it was also the decision of the Moscow government, who sought to test the “sportsmanship” of heavily armed migrants. Police have already approached the venue. Five police cars and a water truck were parked on the university grounds. On one of the buses, law enforcement officers were carrying service dogs.
Adaptive Search
The entrance for fans into the building was strictly guarded. At the general spectator entrance there were six police officers, a local security guard and several volunteers from FMR. A few people were allowed in, with two or even three security guards per fan. Fans were searched thoroughly without much ceremony.
Spectators before entering the match. Photo by Alexander Troitsky
At the VIP entrance, including media personnel, the situation was exactly the same, but volunteers greeted visitors before the search instead of after, and there were only three police officers at the border. Unfortunately, the disagreement ended there. The checks were very severe and included pats on the waist and inside of the legs. Interestingly, tournament participants were also subjected to the same procedure. However, security in Russia comes first and everyone is equal before the law.
After such equalization, the fighters were not shy and did not hide from the fans. In the huddle of people waiting for the start of the game in the university hall, the athletes could only be identified by the word “participant” on their badges. The audience had the opportunity to come up to take pictures, give encouragement and even make some suggestions before the game. The shy fighters took shelter in a cafe, where for some reason mere mortals were not allowed to enter, although judging by the conversation, some fans were happy to have a snack, as the event lasted for five hours.
The Tajik fans proved to be the most organized. Fans arrived with national flags and kept supporting the fighters, and not just their own. The atmosphere at the event was definitely friendly, if not family-like. Mutual respect and the excellent work of the volunteers did not seem to make anyone feel like a stranger, despite all the efforts of the police. The wonderful fight scenes added a positive atmosphere to the event.
The championship hall. Photo by Alexander Troitsky
Asians are cooler than Europeans
26 fighters from 8 countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) participated in the competition. Although the event was declared a competition among immigrants, the largest number of fighters came from Russia, i.e. 11 fighters. Uzbekistan and Armenia were represented by two fighters each, Tajikistan had five fighters, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Afghanistan had one fighter each, and Kyrgyzstan had three fighters.
The first few fights lasted only a few minutes. Thus, Uzbekistan’s Sunnat Damidov defeated Georgia’s representative Tamaz Kverselov in less than two minutes. Another Uzbekistani fighter, Bakhodir Kholmurodov, representing the Akhmat Fight Club, defeated Russian Mikhail Khokhlov in 57 seconds.
The Kyrgyz team also performed well. At first, Abbas Atabaev lost to the Russian player Magomed Kaisarov, but after Marat Gulomov and Nurlanbek Ulu, Marseille confidently defeated opponents from Russia (Anton Andreyev) and Tajikistan (Radora Pirmamadova).
Tajik fighters, most of whom represented the Pamir Warriors Fight Club, also showed good results. Aziz Kondronov, Akmal Mamurov, Jahongir Sayizamolov won, and in the main fight of the evening, Artur Odibekov defeated Russian Alexander Brusov.
The only fighter from Afghanistan, Nasir Sadiki, proved to be stronger than the Russian representative Pavel Sundukov.
As a result, 9 of the 13 championships and cups won in the competition were won by representatives of Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan.
The champion’s prize. Photo from Instagram fmr.mma
From dorm to octagon
Vadim Kozhenov, chairman of the Russian Federation of Immigrants, revealed to Fergana the goals pursued by the organizers of the event.
— How did the idea of holding such a competition come about?
— This is the first tournament organized by our federation. The idea is to make migrants know us more and more. We cooperate with expatriates, media, hotels, employers, and now we decided to “capture the last stronghold of migrants” – their hobby. MMA is popular among migrants, so by organizing the tournament we had a lot of success in attracting attention. More than 1,300 people took part in the event. We want migrants to know our goals, and our main goal is to improve their life in Russia.
— Will the competition go ahead or will it be a one-off event?
— We plan to hold the competition regularly. We are planning to hold the second competition in March next year. But I am not ready to give a specific date yet.
——How do you select the contestants?
— We have a partner – the Pamir Warriors Fighting Club; it is their job to select athletes. I asked boxers from eight countries to participate in the competition.
— Russian athletes are the most represented at this tournament. Why is that?
– Well, we live in Russia. But you can clarify by what criteria the athletes were selected from the Pamir Warriors management. He completed the task of gathering athletes from eight countries, so I have no questions for him.
– Only professionals compete, but can ordinary immigrants enter the octagon in these competitions?
– I think he can.
Before one of the battles begins. Photo by Alexander Troitsky
We asked the same question to the head of the Moscow fight club Pamir Warriors Adim Shabozbekovu.
— Our club trains ordinary people who work 12 hours a day. It’s difficult. It’s hard to expect a boxer who trains for half a day and then comes to the gym to make significant progress. On the other hand, the opportunity to participate in championships of this level is a good motivation to participate in sports. I admit that in the future immigrants will participate in these competitions independently, but today we are promoting the competitions themselves. However, it should not be excluded that some ordinary people will get the right to fight professionals. Why not? In the final analysis, sports are equal for everyone, and promoting a healthy lifestyle concerns everyone.
— What are the criteria for selecting contestants for this competition?
“We turned to our friends and invited them to the tournament. For example, we selected boxers with badges such as sports master candidates or sports masters of the martial arts type. We tried to attract champions. There were no first-timers to the octagon for this tournament. We received many applications from athletes who wanted to participate, but many were rejected. Before the tournament, three boxers were injured and they were replaced, which was no problem.
— How much does it cost for athletes to participate in the competition?
– The loser gets 5,000 rubles, the winner gets 10 rubles. But you have to understand that these are prizes provided by the organizers. Most boxers have contracts with sponsors, who pay for each of their fights, and these amounts are much higher than the prize money. For example, our boxers from the Pamir Boxers Club are supported by the Pakistani sportswear manufacturer Pak Rus, and our boxers’ fees are quite good. Other clubs also have their own sponsors.
Alexander Trotsky
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