Mark Vologdin reacts to UFC contract, provides health update
Mark Vologdin swollen. He is black and blue, and has difficulty walking.
Take one look at him and you’d never guess it — Volgodin (12-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has never felt better.
“My face is not clean and not good,” Volgodin told MMA Junkie on Friday. “This is very painful, but inside I feel the best feeling of my life. I took this opportunity and now it is time to turn the page on my career.”
Volgodin jumped high in a historic fight less than three days ago at Dana White’s 85 Contender Series, appearing on the opposite end of all three judges’ scorecards versus Adrian Luna Martinetti, losing a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 seconds across the board.
The fight was a knockout, with both fighters landing dozens and dozens of blows on the other. There were too many momentum changes, and Vologdin was seriously injured above his left eye. The fight was considered by many, including Dana White, to be one of the best of all time.
“Especially in the second round when I got cut, I lost my sight,” Volgodin said. “I couldn’t see anything. After that, I just tried to take some time to recover but he kept throwing punches at me. When the referee started talking to me like, ‘Get up, get up, move,’ I stood up and moved forward. But I didn’t see the opponent, I swear. I just went forward and threw punches. It was crazy, I know that. Like an animal. But when I went to the corner, I saw Dana. I saw how he stood up and (clapped). It was crazy.” “Happy.” So I said, ‘Okay, now you get what you want.’ “The screams of people on the field, it was an amazing feeling.”
Vologdin never faltered. When it looked like the tempo might drop – he picked it up all the way again, like when he delivered a rolling thunderkick midway through the third round.
“In the third round and before that, the doctor came to me and asked me to examine my wound,” Vologdin said. “After that, the referee asked me: ‘Do you want to fight?’ He asked me that question in the fight. I said: ‘Bylat. Bylat, that word in Russian, is very bad. I had a lot of emotion. I saw Dana, Sean Shelby, Hunter (Campbell), everyone screaming. I was thinking: Oh, do you like this show? I can do the spinning kick too. I don’t care, how do I say, my condition,’ About what happened next. But the spin kick, I put a little more to it.”
Not only was Vologdin surprised by the toughness and durability of Ecuadorian Martinetti (17-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), he also learned about the high ceiling of his limitations.
“I learned, for myself, that I need to focus more on my defense,” Vologdin laughed. “But I’m also very surprised by my chin. I can take a lot of punches. In a fight, you can believe it or not, I didn’t feel pain. Nothing. I just ate punches, I ate elbows and knees, but I didn’t feel pain. It’s crazy. But I’m from karate and Kyokushin. In our sport, we’re used to being strong. We don’t care about damage.”
By all accounts, the bout was a rarity, a first enough for White to shut down production mid-event to announce the fighters’ signings and bonuses of $25,000 each — a first for DWCS.
The decade represents more than just a unique moment in time for an elated Vologdin, who said he spent much of this week reflecting on his journey from Russia to Sweden in pursuit of combat sports greatness.
“I’ve been thinking about this many times,” Vologdin said. “I’ve come all this way from the beginning, from childhood. I trained in karate since I was four years old. I participated in a lot of karate competitions when I came to Sweden. In Sweden, it was the hardest part of my life, very difficult. I lived in the gym like Khamzat Chimaev and it was a crazy time. But it was the best time. When I was on my own, when I grew up, when I had some problems, I had to fix them by myself. No And religion, nor someone. “It made me stronger.”
Significantly, Vologdin (25 years old) said that he did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the fight. He is aiming to return in December – and already has a name in mind.
“Right now, I just care about my health. I’m going to go recover. I’m going to start training and I want to fight in the winter. I want to make my debut and I have one opponent, (Hesher) Sosa from Spain. He was in Dana White’s Contender Series as well. I want to fight against him. We’re both rookies. He fought against my teammate, my brother, Bilal Tipsaev, and won. That’s why I want to check his condition and I want to fight With him. him. But I don’t care. “I can fight with anyone.”
Sosa (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) recently earned a UFC contract on DWCS and is the training partner of Ilia Topuria. He does not currently have a booking for a debut fight.
But until the phone rings, Vologdin will continue to recover. The natural high gets him through more days than painkillers.
“This is the craziest feeling,” Vologdin said. “This feeling gave me a lot of strength and energy. That’s why I didn’t feel pain or anything bad.”