UFC 284: Islam Makhachev becomes new World No 1, downs reigning champ Alexander Volkanovski
Perth: For Islam Makhachev, professional lightweight mixed martial artiste from Russia, it was a double victory over Alexander Volkanovski of Australia here, when he won the final of the UFC on Sunday.
A win over the defending UFC champion earned Makhachev the UFC 284 title. Simultaneously, the 31-year-old martial artiste was crowned the World No 1 replacing Volkanovski, following the Sunday victory.
The final in Perth was a close battle between the two, with Volkanovski showing a lot of confidence in his hands while using good footwork to set up his combinations and keep Makhachev on the outside. He kept stunning his opponent on many occasions on the feet. Makhachev, however, retaliated efficiently, adding a few knockdowns of his own and using his suffocating ground game.
When the fight ended, the judges awarded scores of 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. For Volkanovski, this is also the first loss of his UFC career.
It was a tough fight for Makhachev, but the 31-year-old progeny of Abdulmanap and Khabib Nurmagomedov proved that he was indeed the best lightweight fighter. This being his 12 consecutive win, he also called out to the other lightweight fighters to upgrade and give him a better fight.
“I show why I’m No. 1. They have to improve more. You like or you don’t like but I am the best fighter in the world right now,” said the new World No 1, adding a word of gratitude to his opponent, “Thank you Alex. It was a very good fight. I need some tough fights. I have to improve. I think he’s going to be easy on the ground but this guy improved a lot. I need tough fights.”
Runner-up Volkanovski displayed a sportsman spirit, in spite of not getting the result he had hoped for. “Obviously a lot of people are going to be happy with that because they never gave me a chance,” the fighter said. “I knew I prepared properly, it was a fun fight. Congrats to Islam.”
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Money isn't the reason I play chess: Gukesh on being "new multi-millionaire"
Singapore (PTI): The "multi-millionaire" tag does "mean a lot" to new world champion D Gukesh but he doesn't play the game for material gains but for that unbridled joy, which he has been able to retain since the time a chess board used to be the "coolest toy" for him.
Gukesh, the 18-year-old from Chennai, is now richer by Rs 11.45 crore which he will receive from FIDE as prize money for beating Ding Liren of China in the final.
Gukesh's father Rajnikanth gave up his career as an ENT surgeon to accompany his son on the circuit while mother Padmakumari, who is a microbiologist, became the sole earner of the family.
Asked what exactly does being a multi-millionaire mean to him, Gukesh said, "It means a lot. When I got into chess, we (as a family) had to make some hard decisions. My parents had gone through financial and emotional hardships. Now, we are more comfortable and parents don't need to think about those things," Gukesh told FIDE in an interview.
"Personally, money isn't the reason I play chess," he said.
He always tries to remember why he started playing the game when he got his first chess board.
"I am still the kid who loves chess. It used to be the coolest toy," the reticent world champion explained.
For him, his parents mean the world. Gukesh's dad doubles up as his manager by taking care of all the off-board activities and allowing him to concentrate on the game, while his mother is the emotional and spiritual pillar of strength.
"She (mother) still says, I will be happy to know that you are a great chess player but I would be happier to hear that you are a greater person," Gukesh said.
Still in his teens, Gukesh feels that as a student of the game, the more he learns about chess, the more aware he will become of how little he knows.
"Even the greatest of players make a lot of mistakes. Even though technology is so advanced, there is still a lot to learn about chess. I strongly believe that the more you learn something, more you realise that you don't know that thing.
"Whenever I am on the chess board, I feel I learn something new. It's a process of unlimited beauty."
Journey and Destination both are "important"
The process of the journey is very important but for Gukesh, it is even more important to be clear about the destination.
"For example, I played a beautiful game and lost, I will feel sad. And if I win despite not playing a great game, I will be happy. I tend to look at the result," he said.
Desire to win is more than the fear of losing
The quality of games in the final was found to be pretty drab by experts but Gukesh doesn't believe that his desire to win is trumped by fear of losing.
"My desire to win is stronger than the fear of losing," he said, while expressing a bit of surprise as to how Liren easily agreed to a draw in the second game.
"I had a bit more freedom to attack as he was defending tenaciously. When he went too easy on me in the second game after I played a horrible first game, I felt like he could have pushed me a bit but it was a comfortable draw."
However, he isn't too surprised that Liren opted for the "safer routes".
"It was not a huge surprise. He was tending towards safer routes, maybe he should have taken more chances."
Dance and Ice cream
For someone who believes he has two left feet when it comes to dancing, his impromptu jig after receiving the Chess Olympiad Trophy went viral, and now he fears his friends won't leave him so easily.
"Earlier, my friends would dance and I would sit in a corner. After the Olympiad win, the spirits were high and it was (the dance) in the moment. But the video went viral and now my friends said that 'you had danced there and now you will have to join us'," he smiled.
He thanked the chef in Singapore for providing him with his comfort food, "south Indian delicacies" during the final.
"I haven't had ice cream for one year. Maybe I will have one."
