Valentin
Moldavsky seconds Khabib
Nurmagomedov’s past claim that combat sambo is a better base
for mixed martial arts than Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
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Moldavsky (12-3) is scheduled to headline
PFL 1 against Ante Delija
(24-5) at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.
A former European and Russian combat sambo champion, Moldavsky
shares his combat roots with the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion
Nurmagomedov.
Combat sambo has proven to be one of the best bases for MMA
throughout history, with fighters transitioning extremely well.
Moldavsky believes combat sambo is the more well-rounded discipline
than Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“So when I was in school I was attending different classes, I was
doing some wrestling, sambo, judo. And then when I was progressing
I realized that fight sambo was something that I really liked and
as I was improving, I went all the way to become a medalist. And
yeah, I think it’s one of the best base techniques for me to start
at MMA because you get to get good defense and that would be I
think a great start,” Moldavsky said during a PFL media
session.
“I think that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a great sport, they have great
techniques, but for myself I wouldn’t compare it to fight sambo
cause they lack certain techniques that they’re using, they [have]
less punches, they mostly use throws. So I myself personally, I
mean, I understand that for him it was more about his opponent and
there was a conflict of their styles. But for myself, I think that
actual combat sambo is the best technique out there if you want to
be an MMA fighter, because it encompasses a lot of different
striking and throwing and grappling, a little bit of
everything.”
Moldavsky and his upcoming opponent, Delija, train with heavyweight
legends and former rivals Fedor
Emelianenko and Mirko
Filipovic, respectively. Emelianenko defeated “Cro Cop” via
unanimous decision during their Pride:
Final Conflict clash in 2005. While there is some talk of
Moldavsky and Delija carrying over the rivalry, the Russian isn’t
interested in such narratives.
“So of course we represent our gyms, there are people we train with
and I’m thankful to all my team. But after everything, I’m the one
who is fighting,” Moldavsky said. “I never try to think about
anybody else. I’m responsible for myself, for my previous
experience. So I know that he, trained with Mirko and obviously,
[there are] people I represent. But once we’re there, people like
to bring this up just maybe to have some extra to discuss. What
were there? Just two of us. So I don’t get attached to that
part.”