Will Russian fighters finally get quality UFC competition now?

screaminleeman

screaminleeman

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With the UFC fight night in Russia seeming like a success, will the UFC fighters from Russia finally start getting top name ranked contender fights?

It is always said here how all Russian fighters records are padded and overflowing with cans. I am not here to "dispute" that. I am here to question: Why can't we get extremely active fighters who seem to love fighting often, and showing signs of success decent fights in the UFC?

A tale of two eastern hemisphere fighters, and the quality of competition that the UFC had to offer:
Mark Hunt vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk:
upload_2018-9-18_15-52-23.png
 
This is about Khabib isn't it?
 
They still have visa issues. I thought it was only a problem with Taisumov, but even Khabilov can't get one.
 
I unfortunately don't have any first hand experience on how Russians feel about Khabib. Russia is such a diverse and huge country that tries to tie together so many different cultures.

The United States does also but its under the guise of a live and let live type of persona. The polarization of the USA has changed this but i believe that Russians in general, no matter what their background, want to see the dagestani mauler destroy the irish pop culture sensation. aside from moscow where hipness is also a disease.

I think you will get great competitions for Russia within Conor McGregor
 
For the sake of Khabilov, I hope he doesn't. He's on a nice little, boring run that will come to an end once he faces someone that's slightly better than say, Kajan and Desmond.

Vick would be a decent fight to stop him on his tracks.
 
TITS said:
This is about Khabib isn't it?
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More about the Russian UFC HW at ringside wishing that he could buy a top contender fight in the UFC, and praying it doesn't take 60 fights to get one in the UFC like his Comrade Olynyk.

It has taken Volkov 3 damn years to "finally" get real names ranked fighters to compete against. To date, Bellator has granted Xander much tougher competition!!!! Why.
 
screaminleeman said:
It is always said here how all Russian fighters records are padded and overflowing with cans. I am not here to "dispute" that. I am here to question: Why can't we get extremely active fighters who seem to love fighting often, and showing signs of success decent fights in the UFC?
Click to expand...

I don't mind bringing more over, but I think your first sentence is true. I also think they're doing relatively well in the UFC because there are SO many aging HWs and LHWs in the UFC. The average Russian HW is probably 10+ years younger than the UFC guys they're fighting. And moving beyond HW, Russians were fighting guys like Alves and CB Dolloway last weekend. Alves peaked 10 years ago and Dollaway has seen much better days, too. (I'm not sure if Dollaway had a prime...maybe the Mayhem fight?)

The same is true in Bellator to some extent. Minakov's best win was an old Kongo who got booted from the UFC after first round KO losses to Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson (two other old guys).
 
Rvd Slmr said:
They still have visa issues. I thought it was only a problem with Taisumov, but even Khabilov can't get one.
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But you don't seem to have this same kind of Visa issues with South American, Central American and Canadians getting into the USA.

The day that I turn on the TV, and DO NOT hear that phobia in headline news is when I will believe that their is not an "issue" between Russia and the USA at the top that carries through to many aspects of life right down to professional sports.
 
screaminleeman said:
More about the Russian UFC HW at ringside wishing that he could buy a top contender fight in the UFC, and praying it doesn't take 60 fights to get one in the UFC like his Comrade Olynyk.

It has taken Volkov 3 damn years to "finally" get real names ranked fighters to compete against. To date, Bellator has granted Xander much tougher competition!!!! Why.
Click to expand...
Isn't it because Alexander fought in Bellator's tournaments, where you can go from being 0-0 in Bellator to champion in one year?
 
mkt said:
I don't mind bringing more over, but I think your first sentence is true. I also think they're doing relatively well in the UFC because there are SO many aging HWs and LHWs in the UFC. The average Russian HW is probably 10+ years younger than the UFC guys they're fighting. And moving beyond HW, Russians were fighting guys like Alves and CB Dolloway last weekend. Alves peaked 10 years ago and Dollaway has seen much better days, too. (I'm not sure if Dollaway had a prime...maybe the Mayhem fight?)

The same is true in Bellator to some extent. Minakov's best win was an old Kongo who got booted from the UFC after first round KO losses to Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson (two other old guys).
Click to expand...
Kongo is a GREAT example: Kongo beat Volkov.

The point being, Kongo was in the UFC for only one year before getting top name opponents (Cro-Cop!!!)

Opponents that the UFC was able to get Kongo: Herring, Cro-Cop, Velasquez, Mir, Browne, Mitrione, Hunt, Nelson (Prime).
Volkov got Nelson in his last fight on the way out of the UFC. He got Werdum in likely his last major MMA fight in his career, and no other names to go with that.
 
screaminleeman said:
But you don't seem to have this same kind of Visa issues with South American, Central American and Canadians getting into the USA.

The day that I turn on the TV, and DO NOT hear that phobia in headline news is when I will believe that their is not an "issue" between Russia and the USA at the top that carries through to many aspects of life right down to professional sports.
Click to expand...
From what I remember currently are 38 Russian fighters are signed to UFC and only 2 has problems with American visa. From UK/Great Britain fighters Allen and White (if I'm not wrong) can't get American visa, for example.
 
Feniamin said:
From what I remember currently are 38 Russian fighters are signed to UFC and only 2 has problems with American visa. From UK/Great Britain fighters Allen and White (if I'm not wrong) can't get American visa, for example.
Click to expand...
Than that just makes the lack of competition that the UFC is giving Russian fighters even worse. It sounds like much of it is not "out of the UFC's control".
 
Calipwnia said:
I unfortunately don't have any first hand experience on how Russians feel about Khabib. Russia is such a diverse and huge country that tries to tie together so many different cultures.

The United States does also but its under the guise of a live and let live type of persona.
Click to expand...

What has this bizarre rambling got to do with what thread is about?
 
I think you're onto something

sidy.gif
 
Bogeyman said:
What has this bizarre rambling got to do with what thread is about?
Click to expand...
I wasn't clear with my post unfortunately. It seems like several posters took it as a Khabib post.

He is actually the exception to the rule, that makes my argument not look as sound. Khabib is probably the first Russian fighter to get matched up against decent competition upon his arrival in the UFC. He is the EXTREME exception to the Russian taking longer to get ranked opponents offered to them by the UFC.
 
What about Nikita Krylov? Leaves the UFC for a year and immediately gets matched up with #4 Blachowicz for his first fight upon returning.
 
Renan Barao is Russian?!? see how i counter-exampled your counter-example?

i think i can boil it down; anyone who over-generalizes (like "all Russians take easy paths to 15-0") is daft and you shouldn't debate them.
 
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