MUSLIM SALIKHOV, SECOND TIME IN ITALY

The king of Sanda and World Champion comes back in our country for two high-specialized stages. An exclusive interview

PESCARA - Muslim Salikhov, for two weeks special guest of the “Wushu Kung Fu study center” in Pescara, trained Italian athletes in specific technical brilliance and different methodology of Sanda, beyond some skills of Pào Chuì, self-defense technique and many aspect of the MMA in two high-specialized stages.

An unbelievable opportunity to deal with the four times champion of the world and, especially, the king of Sanda; in fact, he achieved this goal in February 2006 during the first international "King of Sanda" tournament in Chongqing and became the first non-Chinese to win this title.

He was almost 20 years old and Chongqing was only the first step in his career high. In 2008 he won the gold medal at the Wushu Tournament Beijing during the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium; while, recently - in 2013 – Salikhov signed with Fedor Emilianenko up for a remarkable hiring in the M-1 Global.

Surely, an important leap for him, also considering the huge number of matches that Salikhov faced and the promotion of mixed material art that this network offers. Despite that, he remains faithful to the sport that makes him burst on the world scene: the Sanda, which is a typical Chinese material art based on traditional Kung Fu and modern combat fighting techniques, such as full-contact kickboxing, wrestling, takedowns and others …

Thanks to the M-1 Global, Salikhov can show around the world the fundamentals and his best techniques of Sanda, and thanks to the strong attachment born between Master Osvaldo Taresco and him, it is possible to attend to practical exhibition and confront oneself with the Champion. The “Wushu Kung Fu study center” is linked with best Chinese universities of Wushu and it habitually hosts experts, like Salikhov, for enhancement courses.

After many collaborations, Muslim Salikhov and Master Osvaldo Taresco have nowadays a close relationship based on their lively interest for Sand as well as mutual respect and esteem:

“I want to say thank you to your student and to you, Osvaldo – smiles on Salikhov – for your respect and for understanding. Maybe not everyone understand how hard to fight in the championship could be, but your athletes and you perceive my efforts, share them and, above all, respect them. I am truthfully grateful for this”.

In the end, Muslim Salikhov answered to our interviewer and explained himself about his latest achievements:

How does it feel to be the king of a typical Chinese sport, even not being Chinese? "I trained in this sport all my life, so I am very happy to be the champion in a Chinese sport and that all Chinese people love me. I am well aware that be the Kung Fu champion is really an honor".

In 2013, you signed with the M-1 Global and so started this competition around the world, how much did this opportunity mean to you? "I think M-1 Global is very important for each Sanda athlete. In my case, as Sanda expert, I have the duty to show to the world that this sport can be suitable for MMA too; surely, it is a great opportunity to promote Sanda all over the world".

Who was the most difficult opponent you faced and why? "Liu Hailong probably. It was a very demanding match especially because I debuted in world championship that time; I was very young – only 19 years old – while he was already a famous athlete and a high-up figure in his sport. More than this, Liu Hailong taught me a great lesson for the future".

During the battle in the Celestial Empire (at the end of the last year) you manage to improve your professional record to 5-1-0 with a first-round knockout, are you satisfied with this result? "Obviously, I am very satisfied; I worked hard for this result. During a fight, I always try to end with a bang; so I do not really care about points or about submission fighting, for me the only important aspect is the knockout so I was very gratified to finish this match on the first round".

This is your second time here, in Italy, for stages about Sanda and Mixed Material Art (MMA), on what were these stages primarily focused on? "During this stage, I tried to show people all I know about Sanda. Thanks to the high level of Osvaldo's school, I felt free to show and teach what I think was necessary for apprentices and the best parts of my skill set. I am very happy to see so much people interested in what I do and to have the possibility to show and try to teach them the best of it".

Which is the most important aspect during a fight for you? Self-defense or Attack? Moreover, Why? "In my opinion, everything is important. If you lack even one of these aspects, your opponent will hit you; habitually I try to be prepared and to take advance of his weak points to be able to attack. Therefore, I surely work harder on the attack to knockout my opponents every time".

Which is your relationship with this area and with this school? "Here I feel very comfortable and there is a close relationship between the athletes of this school and me, I particularly bond with Andrea Eolini, Dannino Taresco and others for example. I am very happy to be here and sincerely hope to be able to come back more than a time but also to have the opportunity to host Osvaldo Taresco and his students in my school in Dagestan".

When and where will be the next match of your championship? "Next time I will fight on 11 April in Switzerland against Karl Amoussou, a famous Bellator fighter. This will be a good opportunity and an interesting match for me. I hope to win".
(di Gabriella Mazzardo - del 2015-02-12) articolo visto 4521 volte