Nikita Krylov wasn’t about to come out and say definitively who the best Russian fighter of all time is — but he does feel Fedor has nothing left to prove.
Vancouver, BC — UFC Vancouver’s Nikita Krylov is a light heavyweight on a 10-2 run recently, with fights inside and out of the UFC. Krylov’s second run with the promotion got off on a sour note, when he lost his return fight to Jan Blachowicz.
He turned that around against Ovince St. Preux at UFC 236, earning a submission victory against the former title contender. That got Krylov back on track, and he’ll look to continue that opposite another big name, Glover Teixeira, on Saturday.
“I feel great. Thank you,” Krylov said at Thursday’s media day, speaking about the feeling coming into the fight, and this second UFC run. “The camp was really great, we did our best, we’re ready to show a great fight.”
Krylov hadn’t been in Vancouver long, but from what he’d seen, the city “in general it looks like Moscow.”
Krylov isn’t one to talk a lot, but he was asked about his pick for the best Russian fighter of all time. Fedor or Khabib was the question. “The great time of Fedor Emelianenoko already finished, and Khabib can show a new era of fights,” Krylov answered via translator.
Asked to pick one or the other, Krylov was hesitant. “We can’t compare Fedor and Khabib because Fedor was like the number one guy who started in MMA… He was like a [pioneer]. Khabib is now in a different time, and he’s a great fighter also.”
“I still think Fedor is a good fighter, and he has a fire inside of him,” Krylov added when asked about the legend’s last few fights in Bellator. “But in general, he doesn’t need to prove himself anymore.” Krylov feels, it seems, that now is the time for a new generation of fighters to shine.
Call it a draw? Another legend mentioned to Krylov was Jon Jones, and the possibility of Bones moving to heavyweight. “I think Jon Jones feels really good in this weight division. I don’t know what will happen in future.”
Watch the full UFC Vancouver media day press scrum with Nikita Krylov above!
