Well, this trip was much better than last years by far. Unfortunatly there were about 4 fighters that backed out of going to Ukraine for the fight.It is a shame that the media lacks the proper coverage to give a more realistic view of the situation in Kiev. But another Ukrainian team stepped up to take their spot so the show was a success. Alot of exciting matches.
As for seeing Vovchanchins restaraunt... No i didnt see it. It is located in Kharkov sp?, not in Kiev. How do I know this for sure you ask? Well who better to ask then Igor Vovchanchin himself, while we are doing shots of Koniak back at the hotel after the fights.
When I arrived to the sports complex the day of the fights, they announced the special guest fighter was Igor V. He arrived a little while later. I got a picture with him there figuring that would be the last time in my life I would see him. Well after the show we went back to the hotel and in the lobby was Igor, his manager, and some fighters from the Kiev team and they asked us to join them. There was about 7 or 8 of us just b.s.ing and doing shots. The alcohol was running low so I said I would buy. Well the bottle was $50 but Igor drank some of my $50 koniak and i got a picture to prove it. LOL
Then some talk of arm-wrestling came up. Now i know im only 160lbs but i figures I will never get the chance to beat Igor at arm-wrestling again so I challenged him. After explaining that he beat both Mark Coleman and Gary Goodridge, I decided it was better for my arm not to do it.
Half the next day was spent getting over a hang-over, then we went to some outside museums and cathedrals. Of course had to have some Mickie D's while we were out. Then went home for a short nap before going out to a night club. That was a blast until 4 am. VERY loud techno music can be bad for your hearing.
On Sunday we slept in until 1pm then went to the town center where all the "violent" protesting was happening. What a shock to see tons of people in the middle of the street doing there own thing after hearing how bad it was on the news here in Arizona. Basically the main street in the center of the city was closed and had baricades around it. You could still walk on the side walk but on the street was hundreds of tents, camp fires, food shops, make shift churches, and DJ's. This went on for at least a mile. Basically these people were now living here, by choice in protest. But it was all accepted by the government. Nobody was trying to make them move. No police clashing with citizens. I was allowed to go into the camps with an escort and video tape and take pictures. People look at you knowing you're a foreigner, but if you talk to them they are happy to respond if they know English. The people there loved to speak to Americans. All of these protesters wore orange armbands or carried orange flags. It was quite an experience.
I will be putting pictures up tomorrow, and if I knew how to post video I would.
I felt really bad for the fighter from Japan. It was the first fight of the night so i was still in the locker room. I heard it was a good fight and I see him walking into the room. I was just about to ask how he did when he walked from out of the shadows and I could tell by the look on his face he lost. Well... not so much by the look, but by the nose. His nose was busted diagonally in half and smashed into his face. It was awful. Apparently, his opponant head butted him on the ground.
Now here is the funny part. I asked what the outcome was and they said they gave the Japanese guy a loss. The reason why is because, granted the head butt was a foul,but was only given a warning about it and since the Japanese guy didnt continue, he lost.
The next day they reversed the decision. That was a happy moment. There is good in all the world.
I met Igor once at a Pride afterparty. he had just lost his fight to Mirko. He is an incredibly nice guy. What I remember most about him, though is he has huge thick hands for a guy his size!
