The interim UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, in an interview with SE, named his top three Russian MMA fighters in history.
– During the press conference, you said that you consider Fedor Emelianenko, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Oleg Taktarov to be the greatest Russian fighters. At the last moment, something prevented you from putting Alexander Emelianenko in third place…
– No, it didn’t bother me. It was just a joke. If we really talk about the three best Russian fighters, then these are Fedor, Khabib … And the third I don’t even know who … Let’s take Alexander Shlemenko. Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov – it turns out he fought and lived abroad? He did not live permanently in Russia in those years, he traveled back and forth.
But there is such a moment. I think in my own way, I’m not saying that here he is worthy, and the other is not. I look at what a person did, what he left behind. Fedor gave a lot of popularization to this sport. Khabib too. Oleg Nikolaevich gave a lot of popularization. Here is Shlemenko too – for me. I myself am from Siberia. In Siberia and in Russia as a whole, many branches and halls come off. It is worthy that a person was at such a peak in sports and to this day is in this craft, somehow promotes this, leaves such a global mark.
And so – who did not name, whom did not include in this trio – do not hold evil. There are many athletes who can be singled out, but time will pass, and I think that the one who is now in first place, in second and third, they will be replaced – other athletes, another generation will come. Everything has its own time period.
28-year-old Jan has 16 wins and 2 losses in MMA. He represents the Archangel Michael club.
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