Undefeated Russian heavyweight Minakov KOs another opponent, takes record to 21-0 (VIDEO)
View: https://youtu.be/ixG1KV8_xWU
'...In May 2016, Bellator stripped Minakov of his belt, but according to the athlete there are no signs of interest in him from the organization, as he has only once spoken to Bellator’s new head, Scott Coker, who took over in 2014, replacing former chief Bjorn Rebney.
“I was in Los Angeles last year to meet with him (Scott Coker), and we had a good and productive conversation,” said Minakov, talking to RT Sport in the summer.
READ MORE: 'I am the only Bellator heavyweight champion' - Vitaly Minakov
“I liked talking to him, he was very professional and a very interesting interlocutor. I told him that I’ve never refused to perform in Bellator, but talking about the financial conditions of my contract, I think I am on a different level already. And Mr. Coker agreed with it. It seemed like we had a good understanding at that moment. But then something suddenly changed and we haven’t spoken since my visit.”
When RT Sport reached out to Minakov shortly after Bellator announced their decision to host the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2018, where eight fighters will compete for the organization’s championship belt, to find out if there were any attempts to return to contract negotiations, he said that the situation hasn’t changed and that no one has attempted to get in touch with him. Therefore, with the contract, which has no expiration date, and is based on the number of fights, Minakov finds himself in a hostage situation, where he has no chance to negotiate with any other American organization, and in his own words “can't afford to risk his health” for the entry level fighter's purse. To add insult to injury, his current contract automatically gets prolonged with every victory.'
by Denis Geyko for RT Sport
View: https://youtu.be/ixG1KV8_xWU
'...In May 2016, Bellator stripped Minakov of his belt, but according to the athlete there are no signs of interest in him from the organization, as he has only once spoken to Bellator’s new head, Scott Coker, who took over in 2014, replacing former chief Bjorn Rebney.
“I was in Los Angeles last year to meet with him (Scott Coker), and we had a good and productive conversation,” said Minakov, talking to RT Sport in the summer.
READ MORE: 'I am the only Bellator heavyweight champion' - Vitaly Minakov
“I liked talking to him, he was very professional and a very interesting interlocutor. I told him that I’ve never refused to perform in Bellator, but talking about the financial conditions of my contract, I think I am on a different level already. And Mr. Coker agreed with it. It seemed like we had a good understanding at that moment. But then something suddenly changed and we haven’t spoken since my visit.”
When RT Sport reached out to Minakov shortly after Bellator announced their decision to host the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2018, where eight fighters will compete for the organization’s championship belt, to find out if there were any attempts to return to contract negotiations, he said that the situation hasn’t changed and that no one has attempted to get in touch with him. Therefore, with the contract, which has no expiration date, and is based on the number of fights, Minakov finds himself in a hostage situation, where he has no chance to negotiate with any other American organization, and in his own words “can't afford to risk his health” for the entry level fighter's purse. To add insult to injury, his current contract automatically gets prolonged with every victory.'
by Denis Geyko for RT Sport
