On Saturday the 18th of February in Olsztyn, Poland, ACB held a press conference with the two headline fighters of the ACB Manchester event, Luke Barnatt and Mamed Khalidov. Here is an outline of the main talking points from the press conference and the questions and responses from the two headline fighters.
Khalidov was asked:
• How has his preparation been for this fight?
Khalidovs response: I have prepared as I always do at my club in Olsztyn. I have lots of sparring partners at my club that are tall and long like Luke so I have used them a lot for this camp.
• What is the biggest danger Luke poses as an opponent?
Khalidov response: Luke is very good at everything. I need to be prepared in all areas. He is also very tall so I will have to take that into account in the fight and my training as well.
• Are you excited to be fighting for ACB?
Khalidovs response: I have wanted to fight for aCB for a long time. ACB is the only organisation that I would fight for other than KSW. This is just a contract for the one fight but in the future who knows.
• How do you feel about fighting abroad and fighting in Lukes home country?
Khalidovs Response: I have experience of fighting abroad in my career before so I think it will be fine. I am a professional so there is no problem doing this. I also know that there are lots of Polish people based in Manchester and I hope they come to support me for this fight at the Manchester Arena.
Luke Barnatt was asked:
• What does this fight mean to you?
Barnatts response: This is a huge fight not just for European and Russian MMA but globally. Mamed is a huge star and one of the best fighters in the world and this is a fight that will get interest from fight fans all over the world.
• Mamed has fought a fighter that is the same height as you with the same dimensions when he fought Kendal Grove. Have you watched that fight and have you seen anything you need to do differently from Kendal to get the win?
Barnatts response: That fight happened over 5 years ago so it’s hard to take anything from it as Mamed will be a different fighter now. Also, Kendall is the same height as me but he has a very different fighting style. I am totally different.
• What are the most dangerous aspects of Mamed that you will have to prepare for when you fight him on March the 11th?
Lukes response: One of the things that makes Mamed so dangerous is he is so unpredictable. He is dangerous everywhere and you never know what he is going to do or how he is going to do it so that is something that is difficult to prepare for. He sometimes does the thing where he lays on his back trying to get you to come into his world which can be annoying but I won’t be falling for that. I will concentrate on me and my gameplan.
• Is it true that you have been asking for this fight after every event you commentated on for ACB?
Lukes response: The truth is ACB have been asking me if I will fight for them since I started commentating for them. With the commentary gig, I have wanted to keep it separate from fighting so I told them that the only way I would make the switch is if they could give me a big fight. We only spoke twice about it after that and they came to me with an offer to fight Mamed Khalidov. This is a huge fight and that’s what I am in the game for. Outside the UFC it is very difficult for me to get fights. Two of the fight sI’ve had since have had late replacements so they are fights people don’t care about. This is a fight that people care about and this is a chance for me to show the MMA world what I can do. Beating Mamed will be huge for me. He has been a big star in MMA and in Poland for many years but I think that he is at the end of his career and I am just really beginning mine.
• What does it mean to be headlining such a big show in your home country?
Lukes Response: This is what you get into the sport for. To headline a card like this in front of my home fans is amazing and I can’t wait to hear the noise all the British fans make when I walk out.
Bryan Lacey was asked:
• What makes this fight so special and why should fans around the world get excited by it?
Bryan’s response: The card itself is deep with international talent. We have MMA stars from around the world coming to compete on it including Ex-UFC star Vinny Maggalles, Saul Rogers, Ali Bagov, Amirkhan Adaev, Brendan Loughnane and Mike Wilkinson so with just them the event would be a big one but having these two men headline the card makes sends it to another level. This is a super-fight. We are putting Champion against Champion with Luke, the Venator champion, riding a 4 fight win streak, all finishes, taking on one of the most dominant champions MMA has ever seen in Mamed Khalidov who is the KSW champ and riding a 12 fight win streak. Having this fight on top of the card makes it a card that would stand up against any card any other promotion could put on anywhere around the world.
• As you have commentated and worked with Luke for so long will it be hard for you to be unbiased with your commentary during the fight?
Bryan’s response: No comment!
He then went on to say: Of course it will be difficult to commentate on a fight with Luke in it as, over the time we have worked with each other, we have become good friends. I know what this fight means to him and I know what he has put into this camp. Saying that I am also very excited to be commentating on a Khalidov fight. He’s a legend in the sport and if I’m honest I am still pinching myself that in 3 weeks time I will get to call a fight of his. It’s a strange situation to be in but one I’ll do my best to be fair and open in.
