Kazakh mixed martial arts fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov (15-0) gave an interview to the MMA kz YouTube channel, in which he spoke about how the attitude towards him in the UFC has changed, as well as about the difference in the mentality of Kazakhstanis and Americans, bbabo.net correspondent reports.
Shavkat Rakhmonov made a statement about the fight with Khamzat Chimaev
- Do you feel how Dana White (UFC President) began to treat you in a special way?
- Dana White is now witnessing how a simple guy from Kazakhstan can compete with strong fighters. Before that, they looked down on us, did not take us seriously. They probably thought: "Well, the guy with the record 12-0 has arrived, so what? We will give him strong (rivals) now." Something along those lines. Dali strong and experienced opponents, who spent several fights in the promotion, did not give debutants. All this suggests that they wanted, perhaps, in this way to test me. Now that I won them, people began to say that, allegedly, they gave me weak (rivals). What to do? In any case, now they look at us quite differently.
- Thoughts slip through your mind: “All relatives are looking at me, my native land is now“ gassing ”for me, I must not disgrace my country and must justify all hopes.” Do you have such thoughts?
- Yes, of course, there is no way without it, after all, we have a completely different mentality in Kazakhstan, therefore, unlike the Americans, it is more difficult for us psychologically than for them. We are experiencing a lot. On the one hand, I think it's good, but on the other hand, it's bad. There are moments when I follow the regimen, fall asleep on time, wake up on time, and they walk, rest, relax, and it feels like they are not going to fight.
- Is the method different?
Yes, they have a slightly different approach. Nobody tells them that you can't fight. If you win, they rejoice for you, but if you lose, then it’s not like ours: “Oh, you bag, why are you fighting? What are you doing there in the UFC?” They don't have that kind of conversation. On the contrary, they try to somehow support you, cheer you up. They say: "You will come back stronger" and do not cross the border, as we do. We are all different.
Chimaev spoke about the hype around Rakhmonov and the victory of the Kazakhstani by knockout in the UFC
ALL NEWS OF THE OLYMPIAD-2022
bbabo.Net