Shamil Kurbanov, head coach of the media football club Titan and a former First League player, spoke to socialbites.ca about the stars of media football Artem “Raizen” Kuzmin and the upcoming MMA-style clash. Andrey “Sibskana” Aleshin, a notable figure in mixed martial arts, warned that some fighters may balk at the match due to the high fees demanded by participants.
“This is a fresh chapter for media football. What stands out first is that the competition will be held under strict sport rules, with governance and safety standards in place. The people behind the event have built a solid framework, so the players approached the training seriously and completed all medical examinations with discipline. The buildup has been thorough, and the clash will spotlight several well-known football media personalities in a broader arts context. Naturally, questions arise for this audience. If MMA evaluators rate the match, interest might not automatically spike. Athletes like Raisen and Sibskana, who are vocal about media football, have significant voices in the sport’s community, and some observers may find the chatter a bit overblown. Still, the reality remains that even top-tier fighters on professional cards earn far less than what a big showcase bout could yield,” Kurbanov noted.
Raizen and Sibskana are slated to receive 5 million rubles for their fight. The event, set for February 23, will serve as a co-main event on the Fight Nights card and will unfold across five two-minute rounds. In odd-numbered rounds, the competitors will rely on their fists and upper-body striking, while in even-numbered rounds they will be permitted to use kicks and leg techniques.
Earlier, Nikolay Valuev commented that blogger Milokhin would not be welcome in Russia, signaling a broader tension between online personalities and traditional sports audiences. [citation attributed to public statements on media relations and sport governance]