On May 26, Master of Sports of International Class in Muay Thai, European Cup winner in K-1 Fedor “Johnny Cage” Koltun in the co-main event battle of the league “Our Delo” defeated another opponent – Master of sports in the hand-to-hand combat of the army Daniyal “T-34” Elbaev. The fighter is in the process of signing a second league contract with Nashe Delo, the details of which have yet to be released. The information portal Inc-News spoke with Fedor Koltun and learned about his future plans in the league and in sports in general.
Hello Fedor. Let’s get to know each other a little. How did you get into professional sport, what was the starting point for such a decision?
My path to professional sports began with the fact that at the age of six my father gave me to swim, which I did for about a year and a half. In swimming, he achieved quite high success. Literally six months later, I was transferred from the younger group to the older group. At the age of seven, from the moment I entered first grade, I enrolled in the taekwondo section. At the same time, he practiced other sports. If we talk about professionals, it was swimming and taekwondo.
The starting point was that my father is a master of the sport in freestyle wrestling. Since childhood, he wanted me to do some kind of martial arts. Since there was an opportunity to go to the taekwondo section, he sent me there with pleasure, because he wanted me to try my hand not at wrestling, but at shock martial arts. This is exactly where it all started.
Fyodor Koltun.
Photo source: Fedor Koltun’s social networks.
What motivated you to build your professional career in MMA, since you achieved impressive successes in kickboxing (in the K-1 category, the European champion belt)?
Right now I’m competing under the rules of kickboxing, muay thai and boxing. It’s not MMA, but it’s in the field of MMA pop that I perform. I didn’t go far from my basic sport. I remain in the same vein: I perform professionally among all these rules, and I will evolve there and develop myself further.
Why did you choose the Nashe Delo league for your career and can you reveal the amount of your contract with the league?
I chose the Nashe Delo league, because it had a good offer at the time, and I considered it a professional league in which a lot of professional and qualified fighters compete. I especially knew that the list of heavyweight fighters was exploding, and that was the reason for the interest in competing with the best and achieving great success. If we talk about the contract, then I fought all five fights (my first contract was designed for exactly five fights), and now I am about to sign a second contract. There are details I can’t divulge, but you’ll find out soon.
Do you have any idols (fighters) that you look up to or want to be like in this sport? If so, then who and what attracts you the most?
I admire two idols: Chingiz Allazov, champion of the One Championship league in the weight category up to 70 kg, and Roman Kryklya, champion of the One Championship league in two weight categories – up to 103 kg and over 103 . Both train with me in the same gym. We work with them, we stand in pairs. Roman Kryklya is my constant training partner, thanks to whom I constantly grow and develop. I draw only the best qualities from him and benefit from his experience. They appeal to me because the guys are as open as they can be, despite having won a lot of titles and made quite a bit of money for their age. They continue to be the most open, friendly and straightforward people who are always ready to help you, share their experience and give you something new.
What gives you a duel, lets you get rid of emotions and problems? Do you think aggression helps in the octagon or hinders it?
I always go out and the octagon in a good mood. I am always positive. I never went against any of the fighters to want to kill them or hate them, because I’m a very nice person myself. I don’t see the point of blaming someone. It’s superfluous, it prevents us from living. It is difficult to think of the good and clouds the mind. Therefore, I go out to fight exclusively with pleasure, with a buzz. I show all of myself, and there is certainly no question of aggression here.
If we talk about aggressiveness, I think that in any case it will bother you during the fight, because you always have to keep a “cool head”. As soon as you start boiling and giving free rein to your emotions, you stop being careful, reasonable, and because of that, a lot of things can go wrong. You can make a lot of mistakes and your game plan can go the wrong way.
Fyodor Koltun.
Photo source: Fedor Koltun’s social networks.
Coincidences replaced your opponent in the last fight and Daniyal “T-34” entered the ring in place of Islam Zhangorazov, whom you defeated. How do you rate your rather unexpected opponent?
I rate Daniyal Elbaev well at the time of our fight because he showed one of the best fights of his entire career. I know he was as aggressive as possible for me and as motivated as possible to win me over.
What do you remember from this fight? Was it difficult to listen to a new opponent?
This fight, like all the others, I remember its singularity. It consisted in the fact that the fighter was 15 cm lower than me and weighed 30 kg more. I also remember the fight because the opponent was constantly advancing, constantly trying to break the rules, throwing me, banging his head against my chest, pressing me after the throw, ducking the fight, putting his hands on the net when he was tired. That is, if we talk about the details – a violation of the rules, and this is his way of pushing until the moment he gets tired.
If we compare the last two fights, which confrontation was more difficult and why – with Savilov or Daniyal?
Of course, the confrontation with Daniyal was more difficult. I consider his level superior to that of Nikolai Savilov. Speaking specifically about the rules of boxing, Daniyal is a more trained, more motivated I would say, and stylistically more awkward fighter. Because Nikolai Savilov is not that assertive, even though he throws a shower of punches, but Daniyal is a more assertive fighter. He is actively trying to move on and discourage you.
After defeating the T-34, you already have a five kill streak under your belt. Maybe you have a point that you would like to reach in this sport, a certain desired level? Series of 20, 30, 40…etc. win-win victorious battles? And what do you think about the fact that fighters often set a certain bar in their career, after which they end up in professional sports?
At the moment, there is no precise bar for the number of fights that I would like to win, because I am only 23 years old. For a heavyweight, that’s not even the beginning – it’s the first of ages, which I think can be, because according to the rules, heavyweights only open at the start. age of 28, and the peak of a career falls on the period from 27 to 33 years. Therefore, I want to reach the most desirable heights, I want to win the titles of the most prestigious and professional world organizations. And at the moment there is no bar for me. I’m sure it will come with age.
Fyodor Koltun.
Photo source: Fedor Koltun’s social networks.
And if we’re talking about the fact that fighters often set some sort of bar for themselves, I believe they set it at a time when they’ve already reached great heights, and understand that there’s no goal or motivation to achieve titles, because in principle, they have already achieved everything. There is no point in pursuing “cooking” in this area. I’m not even close to achieving the goals I set in my head, I’m not even close to living up to my expectations so right now I just want to win and move on .
Who would you like to fight next? Who would you like to see in a title fight if such a fight takes place in the near future?
I was waiting for the fight with Islam Zhangorazov. It was scheduled for April 26, but due to an injury, as he said, which I highly doubt, he pulled out of our fight. I was surprised, because it was a confrontation of principle, before which I was also sick. I knew I would get out no matter what. It was a very important matter, which I could not refuse. And then I was preparing for a fight with him on June 1, but at the same time he jumped out of our fight again saying the league didn’t meet his financial terms. That he wants so much more. Now I see my next fight, or rather, I would like to fight with my long-awaited friend Petya Romankevich. I would like to rematch it and show who really is the best of us. And if we are talking about the title fight, then, of course, with Pyotr Romankevich.
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