In true you’re-only-as-good-as-your-last-fight fashion the MMA community should rename Blagoi Ivanov “That guy who squeaked by a totally shop-worn Kazuyuki Fujita.” I mean “The man who defeated Fedor” seems so five minutes ago now.

Last Saturday night, really late night for American folk, Blagoi Ivanov made his real MMA debut against Kazuyuki Fujita. The 22-year-old prospect carried a lot more expectation than most debuting fighters, because he is a heavyweight and holds a combat sambo victory over Fedor “M-1 Global” Emelianenko. The fight was close. It really could have gone either way, but in the end the fans were the real losers.

Heavyweight prospects are one of the most exciting aspects of the current MMA scene. Hardcore fans think “Could this guy be the next Brock Lesnar?” or “Could he be the dominant champion MMA needs to go to the next level?” This is why fighters like Bobby Lashley and Brett Rogers generate so much attention despite the fact that they have yet to show anything close to a complete game.

Ivanov is another 205-pound-plus fighter who has incited fan frenzy. Not only did he defeat the world’s number one ranked fighter in competition, but he is also the reining sambo world champion. With that being said, after Saturday night we can clearly state that Ivanov has gone ahead and done everything the wrong way. So, in order to use this column space productively, let’s turn Ivanov into a cautionary tale for heavyweight MMA prospects.

Do not seek out substandard training
Since declaring he would fight MMA, Ivanov has been training with random samboists from South Korea. First in order to prepare for MMA it is always a good idea to find some actual MMA fighter to train with. Second, South Korea is not really a hotbed for sambo or heavyweights. For prospects training is extremely important. Ivanov could have used his five month of fame to land with a solid camp, but instead he chose to live it up in the land of Hong Man Choi.

Do not try to parlay hype into immediate cash
Blagoi Ivanov decided to listen to an old adage and strike while the iron was hot. He made his debut in a major organization and will take on Aleksander Emelianenko in only his second professional fight. It is necessary for prospects to take fights that help them develop instead of trying to make as much as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Do not dissolve fan excitement as quickly as possible
Another reason to ease into top level competition is that it keeps fan interested in the prospect’s development. Ivanov’s showing against Fujita, and his almost certain defeat at the hands of Emelianenko, will extinguish all the hype surrounding the Bulgarian within two months of the start of his MMA career.

With all this being said, Blagoi Ivanov did score a victory in his debut. As an MMA fans I hope that he is able to become a top notch heavyweight in spite of himself. After all, in a world in which Neil Wain gets to fight in the UFC, there are never too many heavyweights.

One thought on “Mann Talk – The Blagoi Way”
  1. Ivanov is a great prospect. Even after this fight he take a good option in the fight of Fujita.
    Fujita is aready a veteran in his way to the retirement.

    Here is the greay mistake of the all the UFC nobbies. If is on the UFC, it have to be the best. No.

    A fight with Aleks can be dangerous, but if loose, he have the great chance to make a great fight. A win to win situaion. Its clear that Ivanov is now part of the rising stars of MMA.

    About the training and the gyms, i never hear that fedor goes to train to USA or Japan. Give the chance to the new countrys on the mma scene to make their own legacy and style, please americans fans. Look more far than your country.

    And the most important thing, please, is his first fight. He do it very well for his first fight. come on.

    Great article Richard.
    Mis saludos to ProMMA Jack Bratcher from Mexico.

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