This Saturday, December 14, the PFL (Professional Fighters League) is back in France near Lyon headlined by the impressive fighter Abdoul Abdouraguimov, who spoke to CNEWS.
What state of mind are you in before returning to the octagon?
We can't wait because it's starting to get a little long. Every day, we train without really fighting. So, we're happy, we're excited.
Is waiting for a fight the most complicated thing for a fighter?
It's okay because I'm someone who likes training. It's just that sometimes we want to take action, to compete because we're used to competition too. Otherwise, I stay regular, I train, it's a pleasure.
You are going to fight in Lyon, are you looking forward to it?
Yes, it's going to be a different atmosphere, I like it. It totally changes.
MMA is not a discipline that you can practice just like that, it is not a discipline that you can master overnight.
Do you feel like you've grown as a fighter since your debut?
There is always something to develop, we are constantly evolving. The higher we go, the more we realize that we don't know much. We still have to learn. At the beginning, we are unconscious, you see, the child, the young kid who goes out into the world he is unconscious, he wants to achieve everything. And once we see all that, we say to ourselves, oh yeah actually… The world is big and there's this, there's that, there's that. So, we say to ourselves, OK, we have to calm down and learn even more.
Where does your nickname “The Lazy King” come from?
It was my friends who nicknamed me that because at one point we were looking for a nickname. They told me: “Since you're lazy, we'll do something with that and the word 'king'”. So, it worked well, it's simple and effective.
What is your first memory of martial arts?
I started with freestyle wrestling. I didn't know anything, I didn't really know the sport, all the details, the techniques, the rules… and once there, I immediately loved it, I fell in love. And since then, I haven't stopped, I've continued. Afterwards, I discovered other sports, grappling, judo, boxing, MMA, kickboxing…
What mistakes should you avoid making when you want to start MMA?
The mistakes are that there are some who want to start directly with MMA. You should know that MMA is not a discipline that you can practice just like that, it is not a discipline that you can master overnight. The advice would be to really start with a martial art that you love and that you want to learn properly. Then from there, if you really see that you also like doing a few other disciplines, you can get into MMA.
What is your goal in MMA?
The goal is already to evolve as a fighter, to truly become a master in MMA, in my discipline, and earn enough money to be able to be independent, to be able to live after the career. Basically, that's pretty much it. The memory of people, all that, will happen by itself. I did everything I could to keep things clean. Afterwards, the rest, we will see.
The PFL Europe Lyon takes place this Saturday, December 14 at the LDLC Arena. Places are available ici.
