Former fighter UFC Damir Ismagulov spoke about his love for football and attending matches Kazakhstan national team within League of Nations in AlmatySports.kz reports with reference to SPORT+.
“It was with football that I started, I grew up in a village where there was nothing but a football, we played constantly. I was lucky that there were a lot of guys my age, they were very strong, we always played and then fought. It seems to me that the most fights I had were on the football field. But I always dreamed of being a professional football player, I was drawn to it. I dreamed of going to Orenburg, I will train at Gazovik. I had talent, despite the fact that the coach of the district team did not like me. I came to Orenburg to study, signed up for football, we had a city relay race and needed a person who would run, I ran quickly, and the athletics coach took me, made me a room, and I combined. Once I went to the Russian Championship, one football player, Alexei Baranov, did not go, and then I played under his name. I saw the level and got even more fired up, and then I got injured and went to MMA. Now I continue to love football, it is very dangerous, so I rarely play. I went to the Cup final, the national team match. It’s fascinating, there are different speeds, the best players gather. I really like football,” said Ismagulov.
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