Vadim F: Championships of RUS & the world of MMA to be held this year

Johan Lofgren wrote:
Vadim Finkelstein: Championships of Russia and the world of MMA will be held this year. Published on May 25, 2012.

In Moscow, at the I-st ​​All-Russian Constituent Conference, which was attended by representatives of more than 50 regions of the country, it was decided to create the Union of mixed martial arts MMA Russia. About the nearest plans of union said its vice-president Vadim Finkelstein.

Vadim G, when and how the idea to the creation of the Russian Union of Mixed Martial Arts?

The exact date of the idea, I do not undertake to name, but it was a long time. After conducting our first Russian mixed martial arts tournament in St. Petersburg's Palace of Sports "Jubilee" November 1, 1997 clubs and groups fighting without rules, as they were often called, began to appear across the country. By itself, the tournament in the "Jubilee" was the catalyst for the natural process of development of martial arts, combining the techniques and methods of combat in various forms of martial arts. Prior to 1997, were closed to competition fighting in different parts of the intelligence services, organized underground fights, but the rules by which they were conducted, the situation of these tournaments are essentially no idea of their availability for a mass audience.

Carrying out the official tournament, having the status of the Open Championship of Europe with it world-famous fighters such as the Italian Riva Roni, the Dutch Faverus Rodney, Gilbert Yvel, Bob Schreiber, not only found a huge audience interest in the new sport, but also stimulated its development In many regions of Russia and CIS countries.

Not all clubs and groups of mixed martial arts to survive in difficult economic circumstances at the time, but those that remained afloat, successfully developed, and eventually felt the need to combine efforts in the development of mixed martial arts, exchange of experience in training soldiers, carrying out joint activities.

So the idea of creating some kind of association emerged, I repeat, for a long time, but it prevented the implementation of various administrative or subjective reasons. Now the creation of the Union of mixed martial arts MMA Russia finally took place.


Organization of the founding conference was associated with some difficulties?

Of course, considerable effort and time required preparing the necessary documents and to establish contacts with representatives of our sport in the regions of Russia and former Soviet republics, with our foreign counterparts. Previously, we did not have to carry out such a large amount of paperwork. We organized and conducted numerous tournaments, including the major international championships, but they usually do not require much effort and bureaucracy have become familiar to us.

Creating a union - the task of organizing a completely different order, and we are grateful to our colleagues from the regions, which were represented at the founding conference of more than 50, and our foreign partners, who came to express support for an alliance of more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia. The conference was attended by MPs, representatives of the Union of Martial Arts and FILA.

I think this activity could not be somehow provoked or imposed from outside, but really was a need for internal organizations that participated in the conference?

Of course, we have repeatedly called up with all the participants of the conference, they sent out for discussion documents and amend them in accordance with their wishes. So, actually, and the conference itself went smoothly, with no extra blank discussion and some surprises. Would be correct to note that the initiative belongs to a union regions that pushed us to hold this event.

What, in your opinion, affect the creation of alliance for the development of mixed martial arts in Russia?

The Union will fully contribute to the development of MMA, not only in Russia but also in many foreign countries. Over 15 years of operation M-1 Global has conducted more than 130 tournaments in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, USA, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Korea, Britain, Bulgaria, Finland.

At various times, M-1 Global was the organizer of the battles of the world of MMA stars such as Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Andrei Semenov and many others. System tournaments organized in a pyramid and includes three levels: M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global.

Tournaments of the M-1 Global - not only the largest and most prestigious in Russia, but also some of the best in the world. We will continue this work, but our capabilities are limited, and mixed martial arts tournament held less than desirable. In addition, our tournaments are involved professionals who already have a fairly high level of training and novice fighters are often no place to try their hand. The Union will hold tournaments for amateurs, from regional championships to Russia, Europe and the world as well as in other sports.


What are the priorities of the Union face of mixed martial arts in Russia?

One of the most relevant today is the official recognition of the MMA sport and making it into a coherent national Russian sports classification. This will allow us to assign the athletes, their coaches and judges appropriate level and rank. Before the Union is also the problem of a youth sports schools for children and adolescent sports clubs and other sports organizations and sports a mixed martial arts.

Now the order of the preparation and holding in September this year in Moscow, the Russian Championship and holding on November 1, at the 15th anniversary of the first tournament in St. Petersburg, the World Cup. In the future we want our athletes performed at the II World Martial Arts Games to be held in St. Petersburg in 2013.

It is known that considerable time and effort required drafting mixed martial arts tournaments, and is supposed to form a composition of the championship mixed martial arts?

First, preliminaries will be held at the regional level, their results will form teams, which will include fighters in their weight classes. They will be performing at a higher level of competition.

Tournaments M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and others are held in the evening. Obviously, the championship of Russia will bring a much larger number of participants and, therefore, require a different format?

It is anticipated the holding of such events simultaneously on multiple rings for a few days with the preliminary fights, semi-finals and finals, as well as in other martial arts. Who developed laws and regulations of the fights battles for beginners in this type of athletes.

Holding the championship of Russia took the Moscow-based company Fight Nights, led by Kamil Hajiyev, which has extensive experience in organizing tournaments, "The Battle of Moscow." In the coming days we will meet and discuss all these issues. I guess the World Cup to be held in early November at the Palais des Sports "Ice." His finalists will have the opportunity to perform in the tournament of M-1 Challenge. It is expected that the World Cup will bring together athletes from around about 50 countries.