A PROMISING START

The first official Mixed Martial Arts world championship, which was held in St Petersburg, was memorable for the successful performance by the Azerbaijani fighters. At the contest, which was represented by 38 countries, fighters representing the Azerbaijani MMA League won gold and silver medals.

By winning five bouts, Etiqat Atakisiyev (in the up to 70kg weight category) took the gold medal, but Zaur Hacibalayev (up to 93 kg), who lost his final bout, had to be satisfied with silver. This is quite a high achievement because competition in the mixed bouts is very strong.

Gold-medal winner Etiqat Atakishiyev shared his impressions of the championship with R+. "The competition proved to be keener than we expected. Russia and Ukraine were represented by strong fighters. We deserved to win. During training in Baku the coaches concentrated only on winning. I am extremely happy that I have come back to Azerbaijan with a gold medal. For this I would like to thank the head of state Ilham Aliyev who has shown immense concern for sport. All sports are developing in Azerbaijan. There is no discrepancy between them. Attention is focused on both Olympic and non-Olympic sports," Atakisiyev said.

He also pointed out that in the semi-final he sustained an injury but he didn't tell anyone about it: "You are the first to know. In the semi-final I got a serious injury to my arm, but I didn't tell the coaches, so I went to the final. When I struck my opponent I could feel the pain but I put up with it. I knew I was ahead on points. But when the referee raised my arm in victory I no longer felt anything - victory heals all injuries. I was happy to see our country's flag hoisted."

His fighting ability surprised the organizers who said that Atakisiyev deserved to be world champion.

Azerbaijan could have won another gold medal in the 93kg category. After a clear run through to the final young Zaur Hacibalayev was unable to raise his performance for the final against the Russian Zetagurov. This is how Zaur himself explained his defeat to R+: "To be honest, before the final I already felt I had used up all my strength in the previous bouts. So I got it all wrong. My opponent was stronger and deserved to win. I couldn't land a strong blow. A silver isn't a gold, but our team does have one gold medal. I am very pleased for my friend Etiqat's success."

Hacibalayev said that he would be working with the coaches on where he went wrong. After a week's rest the team will start training again. He said that at the next training meeting they will first analyze the competition in St. Petersburg. "First of all we shall be working on our mistakes so that we do better next time. There will be another major competition at the end of the year where we must do well."

We should point out that having praised the concern given to sport in Azerbaijan, as well as the work of the local league, the World MMA Association intends to entrust Azerbaijan with staging the final stage of the World Cup. Many foreign athletes will be taking part in the tournament, which will be held in December.

According to the honorary chairman of the Azerbaijani MMA League, Rovsan Hasanov, the confidence shown by the international sporting body is natural: "The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) knows all about the work done in Azerbaijan. During his visit to Azerbaijan, its leader Vadim Finkelstein went to see a number of sports complexes. He was very pleased with the attention given to sport in our country. Once the right to hold the World Cup to Azerbaijan is confirmed we shall set up an organizing committee. All work will be carried out based on a plan and we shall do everything to ensure that the tournament is run at a high level. Winning two medals in St Petersburg was a great success. So the Azerbaijani MMA League plans to step up work in the regions. The selection process to find young, talented athletes will be continued."

The president of the WMMAA Vadim Finkelstein also shared his thoughts with R+ about the success of the Azerbaijani athletes: "The representatives of the League which was created quite recently won one gold and one silver medal. I congratulate all the coaches on this success. You are on the right road. Like all sports in Azerbaijan, mixed martial arts is on the upsurge. I believe that your success will continue."

The Azerbaijani MMA League said that another two MMA clubs have been set up. They are "Baku Az Fighters" and "Naxcivan Fighters". They include well-trained athletes.