"Why Leave When We're Comfortable Here". Moldavsky Talks About PFL, Nemkov, Ngannou And Emelianenko's Shape

Russian heavyweight Valentin Moldavsky, who represents Fedor Team, has learned the date of his next fight in one of the PFL tournaments, which bought the Bellator promotion. At the end of this week he will go to the team's training camp in Kislovodsk, where he and Fedor Emelianenko will help Vadim Nemkov to prepare for his next fight.

Vadim Nemkov, Valentin Moldavsky and Fedor Emelianenko

In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Moldavsky tells:

• when he will come to the training camp to help Vadim Nemkov;
• what is known about his future in the PFL;
• why Anatoly Tokov is the favorite in the fight with Magomed Ismailov: how Anatoly and Valentin fought for the title while being sick;
• why Francis Ngannou will not return to MMA;
• about Fedor Emelianenko's current training.

"Vadim's fight has already been announced, and I will fight later"

- Vadim Nemkov said that he is already at the training camp in the Elbrus region and is waiting for you in the training camp. When do you plan to join him?

- Soon. I got a little sick, but I think I will be there by the end of the week.

- How long do you plan to stay at the training camp and what will you be working on?

- I will be working for Vadim. The training camp will last three weeks. So far the guys are there and they are getting acclimated. I can go without adaptation, so I will get to work right after arrival.

- Vadim already got his opponent and he is preparing for him, but what is the situation with your next fight?

- The situation is clear, but I won't tell you anything. The opponent is still unknown, but we already know the approximate date, I just can't disclose it yet. It is later than Vadim's, whose fight has already been announced.

Vadim Nemkov and Valentin Moldavsky

- Has your contract now automatically been transferred to the PFL?

- I understand that Bellator is now a part of the PFL, and we can compete in both leagues. Bellator tournaments will be around for two more years. The situation will become clearer to me when I go there to fight. I haven't really looked into it yet. They said that the contract is the same, I will fight, and everything is fine.

- There are some reports that the contracts with PFL will be stricter and the fighters will not be allowed to perform in other promotions, even in Russia. Are there any other changes?

- I don't know about that, but you saw the announcement of Anatoly Tokov's fight against Magomed Ismailov, right? There are three letters too, but it's ASA, not PFL or Belltor. I don't think Anatoly is free from his contract, but apparently they somehow agreed to it. I think Anatoly will fight Ismailov and go back to PFL-Bellator.

"Tokov came to the fight Eblen with a tube in his nose"

- How important for Tokov is such a big name fight in Russia right now?

- I think it's a very good fight in terms of money-making. I don't know the numbers and I won't even ask Anatoly, but I think they made a good deal, considering that Magomed is a famous fighter, Anatoly will definitely get his bag. Anatoly is the favorite in terms of odds. I don't want to diminish Ismailov's merits. He's a good fighter, but you should have seen how Anatoly came to the fight with Eblen - everyone was watching it. I don't know how he even survived those five rounds. I was at the training camp when he got sick and saw it all. He was out of the gym for three weeks before the fight when he should have been at his busiest. He came in once in the morning when his fever had gone down a little bit and he felt better. In the evening he planned to come to sparring and did not come. I asked the coaches and they said: «He цуте down again with a fever of 38». Yet he went out and fought five rounds in this state.

- Could he have beaten the American if he was healthy?

If Anatoly is healthy, and I hope he is, I think the fight with Magomed will be very competitive. Anatoly is going to win, I just don't know how exactly. I'm not sure that he will use the same spectacular painful punch. Ismailov will consider his past mistakes, but maybe Anatoly will choke him.

Anatoly Tokov and Johnny Eblen

- You also had the fight when you were sick, the one against Bader.

- I entered the fight at the beginning of the illness, it was getting me down, and I was not in the best condition, but compared to Anatoly, I was still okay. If I had a fight a day later, I wouldn't have been able to make it. The next day we had a flight, and I could hardly survive that after such a load on the body. I had a fever, sore throat and everything else. But I was sick, and Anatoly had just gone through an illness and he had all the aftermaths. He was in even worse condition. I wondered how I even made it through five rounds with a fever and phlegm, but Anatoly's fight must've been a nightmare for him. He arrived ten days before the fight with a tube sticking out of his nose to drain the phlegm. A person has to lie down and recover for two weeks after that, and he came to the fight, somehow got up and made it. Everyone told me and Anatoly: "You could have pulled out". But you don't know if you'll get another chance. You don't get paid money and all the preparation is wasted, so you enter the cage, because it's your job and you have to try and fight no matter how you feel. I got it pretty close with Bader, I could have won, so I don't regret fighting.

"I don't think Ngannou is going to come back to MMA"

- Did you see Magomed Ankalaev's knockout victory over Johnny Walker? What do you think about his success and the possibility of winning a UFC title in the near future?

- I saw the knockout. I don't know when he will be given this title chance. They'll probably put Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill up against each other for the belt. I know Pereira as a famous kickboxer, but I haven't seen Hill. I don't remember how he became champion and knocked out Teixeira, I missed it. They'll probably fight each other now, Magomed will fight someone else and if he wins, he'll get a fight for the belt in about a year. He's supposed to have a fight ready by now. I don't believe Pereira can beat Ankalaev, and I don't know Hill at all. Magomed will just have to take him down and then he'll punch him in every round if he doesn't submit him right away. He will torment him, dominate him on the ground and finish with a ground and pound.

- What was your impression of Ankalaev when he was an amateur? How strong and heavy is his punching?

- When we fought, we were each 22 years old. At that time I had no idea what I'm doing, and he was clearly weaker. He was also always working hard. He never landed a straight punch on me. He beat me by split decision then. We were wrestling and clinching more, there were exchanges, but he didn't land a straight punch on me, so I can't really evaluate the power of his punches. Judging by the way his opponents are falling, I think he has significant punching power and good timing, which is evident in his fights. He throws his punches at the right time. Judging by their effect, his punching power is considerable.

Magomed Ankalaev

- Is Vadim Nemkov ready to move up to heavyweight? Has he gained any weight for it?

- He was already at the right weight for heavyweight. Even sometimes he would have to cut weight, because he can even weigh 120 kg. Vadim gains weight just fine. I think he'll even lose a little weight now, to gain more speed and feel more comfortable. His weight in the fight will still be less than the one he started at in the welterweight division. I think he will enter the fight with a weight of 108-110 kg. He doesn't need to weigh more than that. It will be worse for his speed and breathing.

- How do you plan to divide turf with him? He said he's targeting a fight with Ngannou, what are your aims in the new league? Are you interested in Ngannou?

- In the long run, everything is possible, but for now Vadim is obviously closer to him than I am, because he has a winning streak and I'm only just getting back on it. I only have all of that in perspective, right now Vadim and I are on different stages, so we can't have a clash of interests. I'll be going back on a long winning streak and then we'll see. I somehow have a feeling that Ngannou won't return to fighting, no matter what he says. I think he'll stick to boxing, and no MMA organization will pay him that kind of money. It would be easier for him to buy himself out of the PFL and that's it. But that's just what I think - maybe the contract doesn't leave him much of a choice.

Francis Ngannou Vs. Tyson Fury

"Fedor still has speed and explosive power, he's as solid as a wall"

- When Bellator and PFL merged, did you consider other options, like trying to get into the UFC or signing with the Europe's strongest promotion ACA?

- Fedor now keeps training actively and he is ready to compete in boxing. What is his driving force - is it money or the desire to try new things?

- I think it's all of the above. If a man feels the strength to fight, why not fight. Boxing also should be profitable for him. If he feels strong enough, if it works out, he can try. He still has his sporting passion. I look at him and Cheick Kongo and I want to perform like them at their age. They both fight at a high level and keep fit.

Fedor Emelianenko and Valentin Moldavsky

- Who exactly would you like to see Fedor fight?

- It would be interesting to see him fight Tyson, but I guess he doesn't want to spar anymore and he's fine with it.

- When was the last time you sparred with Fedor? Is he still good?

- It was before my fight at the training camp. He is fast and has explosive power. He came to that training camp and put on some muscle mass. He was like a wall, he was physically very strong.

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