ACA welterweight grand prix finalist Faridun Odilov, who scored an early victory over Russian Mikhail Mokhnatkin in his semifinal match, apologized to his opponent, who was pelted with bottles by the Tajik fighter’s fans on his way out of the arena.
“I sincerely want to apologize to Mikhail Mokhnatkin and to the entire public for his fans,” reads Odilov’s official statement posted on the league’s social media accounts. “Mikhail is a most worthy athlete and human being, which is evident from him. Brother, all the best to you, it was just a bad day at work, I was luckier. It was an honor to share the cage with such a titled athlete and most importantly a deserving one.”
“And I will say for those who do not understand and write nasty things, who are trying to incite ethnic discord: after the fight I approached my opponent, showed respect, and also extended my hand to my opponent’s seconds, after which one of them pushed my hand away, and we had a small misunderstanding.”
“Such behavior on the part of the fans was not towards Mokhnatkin, but towards Misha’s second. I do not justify the behavior of our brothers, our fans, but they perceived differently, and it turned out as it turned out. We are all human beings, we were all euphoric and emotional”
“Russians forward! Tajikistan ba pesh!”
The fight between Faridun Odilov and Mikhail Mokhnatkin, which became the third most important event of the ACA 168 tournament, ended in the third round with a technical knockout defeat for the Russian.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/33498-faridun-odilov-prines-izvineniya-mikhailu-mokhnatkinu.html?rand=19907
