Interesting interview of B1 MMA fighter
B1 MMA fighter Daniil Donchenko spoke about his victory over Azerbaijani Shamil Niksakov and plans to get into Bellator and UFC.
– Your opponent was characterized as an uncompromising, spirited fighter. You finished the fight in the second round ahead of schedule. How difficult was the fight?
– We watched all his previous fights, and he really tried to impose his own to the last. We prepared well, we knew what he would do, so the fight did not turn out well for him. I felt good in battle. I wasn’t tired, I was fresh in the end. If the fight had gone at that pace, I could have done ten rounds.
– Before this fight, you said that the opponent has strong punches. I take it you didn’t expect them?
Yes, I didn’t wait. Well, I made blanks for them too. He had two or three attempts, plus he tried to translate. In the rack, he apparently didn’t even want to risk an extra couple of seconds at all.
– From the very beginning, he tried to transfer you to the ground, but there was a feeling that you were completely ready for such a development of events. You successfully neutralized all his attempts.
– Yes, I understood that he would go to fight and at the beginning, when he went to his feet – it was very predictable. When the cage was closed, Kirill Medvedovsky (note sports director of B1 MMA) said: “Look, now it will go to its feet.” And as soon as the cage closed, after the very first low-kick, he immediately went to his feet.
On the first two passes, it felt like he had physical strength, but since I kept my balance very well, it was very difficult for him to translate. At the same time, I understood that he spends a lot of energy.
– You were trained in the mountains. Have you been able to use those skills that you got there in battle?
The preparation helped, yes. During it there were a lot of the same situations as in battle. I can say that the workouts where they didn’t press me against the net, where they didn’t take one leg, can be counted on the fingers.
Of course, this greatly influenced the course of the fight. I calmly worked at the grid, I knew that I would not be transferred. It was also a mental certainty. Well, and most importantly, I constantly worked with it, I got used to it and it did not take away my strength. He did everything in one breath. It was like a routine for me.
– Can you tell us more about the preparation? What features of training for yourself noticed?
– I trained for five weeks in Makhachkala with very cool fighters. Most of them are world and European champions in sambo and MMA. There are a lot of professional fighters who fight in the coolest promotions.
In addition to technique, which can only be improved and improved throughout my career, I paid attention to the approach to training and their planning. Now I will pay more attention to physical preparation for fights. The role of a fitness trainer is very important, who will keep all the muscles and cardio in good shape. This is very important for a fighter.
I also realized how important recovery is. You need to go to the sauna, for a massage. The body needs this in order to recover better. And, of course, the importance of a doctor who will monitor the muscles and ligaments during the preparation. Due to this, top fighters regularly show high results.
– An interesting MMA community has gathered at your training camp. How important is it when such professionals practice nearby and how did you spend your time outside the gym?
– There was not much time outside the hall. We usually went to the beach, to the movies. On Saturdays we went to the sauna. Gathered, drank tea, played board games.
When I am with such guys, they are like older brothers to me. They constantly helped, prompted almost before entering the cage, for which I am very grateful to them. Next to them, I understand that I will be the same successful athlete. The main thing is to work hard.
– We saw a photo of Khabib’s restaurant on your Instagram. How is the atmosphere there?
– While we were having dinner, we met the fighters, but I would not say that there were a lot of them. It was immediately clear who they were by broken ears (laughs). In fact, you can just in the gym, walking down the street or in some institution to meet a familiar face from MMA. And “Papakha” is a straight top level.
– Was there a special menu for MMA fighters?
– We went there specifically for khinkal – this is a Caucasian dish. There is dough, boiled meat and sausage. There are a variety of them – almost from every nation that lives in Dagestan.
We asked the waiter what was on the menu for the fighters? He immediately replied that, of course, you can’t have dough, offered us beef, told us that it contains amino acids. He suggested broth – he says there are healthy fats. In general, he was guided in this topic very accurately.
– You were the second of four fighters representing B1 MMA. Did you watch the fights between Nastya Svetkovskaya and Dima Yatsko?
– Of course, I just finished the fight, immediately changed clothes and went to watch the performances of the guys. Nastya watched the duel right at the cage, near its corner.
How do you like her fight?
– Nastya won very confidently. I was even worried about my opponent, because there such knees were dangerous. Nastya completely swept her away. I wanted everything to go without injury for both. And for Nastya, this is just an enchanting performance.
– Yatsko was in the co-main bout of the evening, but many called this fight the main one in this tournament. How do you fight?
– Yes, the battle made me worry, admire. Truly the best fight of the evening. The guys went bone-to-bone. But when, at the end of the first round, Dima took the heel, and the opponent knocked at the moment of the gong. As for me, he had already given up, but the referee decided to continue the fight. Of course, if there had been a knockout, the fight would have ended, but as a painful one at such a moment, they were allowed to continue.
Dima recently arrived from Thailand and is not fully accustomed to the climate. Therefore, the fight ended with a decision of the judges. If Yatsko recovered and came out in full readiness, there would be his early victory.
“You were trained in the highlands. Did you have any problems with acclimatization?
“Everything went very smoothly for me. I quickly get used to the climate, time. Even when I returned from Thailand, in just two days everything returned to normal.
– Did you manage to watch the fight of Artem Afanasenko?
– Yes, I watched it during the warm-up. Predictable victory. Artyom’s level is much higher than that of his opponent, he fought very beautifully.
– Artem said that his dream and goal is to get into the UFC. What are your goals? For the near future and for the future.
“I want to do my best and get into the UFC. I don’t even doubt that. You just need to show yourself. And, if you go to the league, then go for the belt. If in the head to be a minor fighter, there will be no result. I train to be the best of the best, and these are UFC champions.
– Who would you like to fight from the top fighters?
“I think there are a lot of fighters in the UFC right now that we can already compete with. I am ready for this mentally and physically. I think I’ll show it soon. I would like to start with Bellator – get used to the American public, do a couple of fights there, get stronger. But I am still ready to fight at a high level.
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