On April 5th, in the co-main event of the first tournament of the new PFL season in San Antonio, Russian heavyweight Denis Goltsov will face British fighter Linton Vassell, who previously defeated Valentin Moldavsky.
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In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Goltsov:
- acknowledged the strengthening of the PFL roster after the acquisition of Bellator;
- shared his opinion on potential fights with fellow Russians;
- discussed Renan Ferreira's chances against Francis Ngannou;
- evaluated Anatoliy Malykhin's achievements in ONE;
- commented on Alexander Emelianenko's return to fighting;
- laughed at the Russian fighters who call out Ngannou.
"I can’t feel bad in San Antonio after St. Petersburg"
- How do you feel before the upcoming fight? How was the acclimatization and adaptation in the USA?
- I feel great, the weather is sunny. In San Antonio, it's around 20 degrees Celsius, so it’s impossible to feel bad after Saint Petersburg. The acclimatization went well, I came here with my team about 12 days ago, had a small training camp, trained with the guys, moved around, got used to the local time, and arrived in San Antonio ready to perform.
- The PFL level has risen this year due to the boost from Bellator. How much more challenging does it become to win the tournament?
- With the arrival of new fighters, the level has significantly increased. Indeed, all the guys are confident, powerful, and there won't be any easy fights.
- Renan Ferreira, who defeated you in the finals of the previous season and who cleanly defeated Ryan Bader, is he really that great of a fighter?
- Of course, someone of that size cannot be underestimated, especially if he can strike. I couldn't fully implement everything I could do in that fight, but overall, the fight started well and according to plan for me. However, the heavyweight division speaks for itself, and that says a lot.
"Ferreira has great chances against Ngannou"
- Does he have the chance to surprise the MMA world and beat Francis Ngannou?
- If this fight happens soon, then his chances are great because after such a heavy knockout in boxing, it takes about six months to recover. If it happens even sooner, then Ferreira's chances are very high.
- This is not your first title attempt. What went wrong in previous years - apart from the incident with the visa?
- Of course, we work on correcting mistakes and try to cover the gaps our opponents can get advantage of. Overall, the preparation doesn't change significantly, we work on our strongest sides.
- What do you think about your upcoming opponent Linton Vassell?
- He's a good athlete from a lower weight class. He’s got good endurance and fairly long arms. Our weight is almost the same, maybe about one kilogram difference. Our fighting style is very similar.
"Malykhin is only cool in his organization"
- There are three more fellow Russians in the bracket with you. What do you think about a possible fight with a Russian in the second round?
- Most likely, this is what’s going to happen in the second round since logically, organizers wouldn't want only Russians in the semifinals and finals. Most likely, someone will be eliminated before the playoffs. This is our reality. The matchmakers know better.
- Besides Russians, who do you see as favorites?
- There's two-time champion Ante Delija, who is far from an easy opponent, he’s a tough athlete. There are many guys with enormous experience.
- In our conversation with Valentin Moldavsky, he mentioned how he twice defeated you at the Russian Combat Sambo Championship. What are your memories of those fights and what would be different in an MMA fight?
- Working with a jacket and without a jacket are two completely different things. One thing is the scoring system and the points, and getting the result is another. It's definitely not worth comparing these two types of sports.
- Anatoly Malykhin recently became a champion in three weight categories in ONE. Can this achievement be considered outstanding?
- This is a very good level exclusively for the organization he competes in. In reality, it's cool within the framework of ONE. If we talk about the global level, a similar achievement in the UFC would have a completely different weight. It’s out of the question. Winning a title in the UFC is an absolutely indisputable achievement.
- Would you choose money and comfort in ONE or fame and the pursuit of becoming the best in the UFC if you were him?
A professional athlete first and foremost realizes themselves financially. Everyone has their own appetites, views on life, and goals. But those with good ambitions would first make some money to calm down and not worry about the future, and then follow their non-material goals.
"It makes sense to judge Emelianenko's return by his results"
- In preparation for Vassell, which sparring partners modeled him and helped prepare for him?
- To mention some well-known fighters, Kirill Kornilov came to prepare before his fight, we were together with him in the gym. There were other guys similar in body shape, and then I had Misha Cirkunov help me prepare.
- What do you think about Alexander Emelianenko's return to fighting?
- It makes sense to judge by his results. If it's a good and quality fight like Alexander's had in the old times, then it’s great. Otherwise, he should switch to another activity. Everyone judges and chooses for themselves, but as long as the fights have quality, and the fighter has the desire and the mindset to fight not just for money, then why not.
"Everyone talks about fighting Ngannou, but there's a catch"
- If you were offered to choose any possible fight right now, what dream fight would you name?
- I wouldn't say that I hate someone and dream of fighting him. Naturally, the most interesting fight I unfortunately missed is the fight with Francis Ngannou, who is now being chased by all heavyweights and non-heavyweights. Even some of our countrymen are trying to challenge him from across the ocean. Of course, every top fighter who is ready to perform now wants to fight him.
- When you mention compatriots, do you mean Vadim Nemkov or someone else?
- Almost everyone in my country wants a fight with Francis, but there's a catch.
- Francis has had a good fight with Fury but suffered an absolutely crushing defeat to Joshua. What did you think of his performances in boxing?
Ngannou is doing well: he's made a name for himself in both fighting and boxing, and he can make a good living out of it. Joshua has the highest class of boxing, and it was expected, and Fury just approached the fight carelessly. But if a fighter has the ability to perform well in boxing, let him try his hand at it, just like boxers try their skills in MMA.
