Alex Chizov battles Gadzhi Rabadanov at PFL Sioux Falls on May 2nd in the co-main event. The number two is a bit of a common element here as Alex Chizov faces the number two ranked lightweight in the PFL ranks in Rabadanov. When asked to give context as to what this fight represents to him, as it is seemingly his biggest career challenge to date, Alex Chizov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, listen, I’m from Latvia. It’s a small, small country in Europe. 99% of people in the world don’t even know it exists. So for me, when I was starting the MMA career like we all know that the States, this is the biggest place to fight in. The highest sport events, biggest sport events are here, biggest names. So for me, for a young kid who was starting like MMA career in a small, small country like where level is so low of the sport just to make it to the US and fight here.”
“Like in one of the biggest leagues in the world against like top level guy, man, it’s like a dream come true. Like if you will say this to me like 10 years ago that I will be here and everything will happen like this, I will say guys, you probably like confuse me with somebody. Like it’s not real. So for me now I’m just enjoying every second of this process because for me it’s really nice.”
Mixed martial artists often times come from difficult circumstance that the nature of the sport lifts them out of and when asked what it was like overcoming all of that on route to being where he’s at now, Alex Chizov stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah. For me like I say, when I was starting the MMA career in our country, we was not having some high level fighter worldwide who I can show to my parents and say listen, I want to be like him. He succeeded in this so I will try also. We don’t have that athlete in our country. So for me, it was like I’m the first guy who is making this path from my country to the worldwide big MMA stuff. So for me, I think it’s twice harder when you are the first one, so. But it’s also a big privilege. So I’m grateful.”
With many regarding him as the best MMA fighter in Latvia, that kind of thing can do wonders with feeding into bolstering the national ecosystem for the sport in a big way. When discussing the pressure component, but in concert with a certain esteem and pride one would presumably feel from such a dynamic, Alex Chizov quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Of course. Pressure is always there but pressure is good. Pressure makes me feel more sharp and also of course it’s like we are Latvians. We are less than two millions in the whole world really small country and like for me, I just want to show to the other guys other people that everything is possible. That you don’t need to be scared of dreaming big and it doesn’t matter from what country you are. England, America, Brazil, or like small f***ing Latvia.”
“Nowadays it’s not too much important. Like I just want to show to all people in my country that with right attitude, with hard work, self-belief, and everything you can achieve, you can achieve a lot. So yeah, it’s a big [source of pride] for me to carry my flag in a big stage.”
Alex Chizov’s ledger speaks volumes with multiple Latvian combat sambo titles, regional MMA belts, and a PFL Europe title to his credit. When asked about how this contest could vault him towards a PFL world title shot, Alex Chizov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Really good. A big opportunity to fight in the States and the first fight in the States, co main event against the second ranked guy. So sometimes I’m just waking up and I’m not like I’m sleeping. Like one year ago, I was in a different position and now like it’s only show how things fast changing in the sport. How you can change your life in one year like time just crazy.”
“Like I remember one year ago, I was watching guys like Gadzhi Rabadanov, all of them, I was thinking oh it will be good to like fight them after like maybe two years, three years in the future. Now like one year after I’m f***ing fighting Gadzhi in a co-main event like crazy. Really, really grateful.”
Alex Chizov revels in the magnitude of this moment facing khabib’s protege
Khabib Nurmagomedov has heaped praise on Gadzhi Rabadanov and the latter trains regularly as part of the former UFC lightweight champion’s team. When asked how he sees this contest playing out against the PFL standout who has been under the wing of ‘The Eagle’, Alex Chizov stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“First of all like I think my strongest part in me is my mentality. I don’t even care [that] he’s from Dagestan, he’s from Khabib team. We all know that Khabib team produce one of the best fighters in the world. Yeah, I think a lot of people who is going to fight with their team members, they start overthinking. They think that they’re fighting Khabib or Islam [Makhachev]. I just don’t care. Like for me, it’s cool like I’m fighting the; I know personal that like Khabib team produces one of the best fighters in the world.”
“I have opportunity to fight one of them. Since day one in the PFL, my goal was to fight the best guys, win them, and become a champion. So it’s great because like even in life, people who see when the fight was announced, they will start to think ‘oh God, like it’s a Khabib [team fighter]. Like it’s a Dagestani, like it’s too much. I’m not on this level’ and blah blah blah. Like I said, people from the beginning, they just scared of one thing that it’s like Dagestani or Khabib team. But me, I just don’t care about that.”
“I’m going to fight another man same as me. He’s good. He’s experienced. Cool, same as me. So like those type of things just don’t bother me. Like I believe in myself. I believe in my hard work and that’s only matters. This fights only excites me because I was never a guy who want to search easy ways to become the best. I know a lot of guys do. Like they pick it up the opponents. This is my 17th professional fight.”
“I was never picking and I was from all my 16-17 fights, I was never [saying] no to nobody. For me like if you want to be the best, what I truly want to be, you cannot lie to yourself. You can’t beat the; fight average guys, win them, and just like think that you’re legit.”
“Because when you go to sleep by yourself alone, you cannot lie to yourself. But you know that you’re not. So for me like fighting him, it’s like opportunity to prove to myself, to prove to my country, to the world that I can be that caliber of fighter like all these guys. So great opportunity. Nothing else.”
