The man looks formidable in the promos for his November 22nd title fight in Bethlehem, PA against Alexander Volkov. He is listed at 6'2" 253lbs. Has explosive Sambo and stand-up skills. Does anyone know anything about this guy yet? Can anyone envision him in the UFC in the future as a major player in the heavyweight ranks? He is 12-0 thus far.
He seems SOLID. He is not overly QUICK, does not possess lightning in his feet or hands. Not SLOW but for the TOP LEVEL in the few fights I've seen his SPEED appears to me as SOLID only. Take Fedor for example, I would refer to Fedor as EXPLOSIVE back in the day respectfully. He had SNEAKY quickness and timing and could appear off balance one second only to set lightning quick and deliver explosive power in a single strike the next. I don't see that same kind of EXPLOSIVENESS in Minakov. That does not mean that he cant be successful as he appears to be a fairly CONTROLED and RELAXED fighter very capable of using his SOLID overall skills to good effect in the few fights ive seen of him.
Not overly impressed with him. I think he could be semi-successful in the UFC, but I don't see him as a title holder. There are reasons why these guys haven't been already signed by the UFC.
I should have been more clear. I met that Minakov wouldn't be a UFC title holder if he was in the UFC. Guys like Cormier is UFC's usual way to go. They pick up the best they can including trying to get fighters from other organizations. Usually, the only time fighters go from the UFC to another organization is when they have been cut. Bellator looks like a UFC reunion many times-Arlovski, Ortiz, Jackson, Kongo come to mind right off. I just watched Bellator HW tourney final last night with Kongo. He was a middle of the pack fighter in the UFC HW division and now is in line for the HW championship fight later this year between Minakov and another russian fighter. It just kind of reinforces that in the US, the UFC is the top of the game.
