Three-time Olympic Games winner, legendary Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin, commented on the success of his compatriot Islam Makhachev, who last year twice defended the UFC lightweight championship belt and topped the list of the organization’s best fighters regardless of weight class.
“What sport does he represent?” said Karelin, speaking to reporters at the Ivan Yarygin Cup. “A Russian sambo wrestler? Well, that’s a continuation of the claim laid down by Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib that Russian sambists, no matter which regional school they represent, are victorious in this confusing kind of competition.”
Note that Alexander Karelin is highly critical of mixed martial arts and does not consider it a sport, referring to MMA as a system of competition.
As for Islam Makhachev, he plans to make the next defense of his championship belt this summer.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/33755-aleksandr-karelin-dal-otsenku-uspekham-islama-makhacheva.html?rand=19907
