ST. PETERSBURG, Rusland (Maart 16, 2016) – M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Murad “Jager” Abdulaev will make his first title defense, April 8 in M-1 Challenge 65,against undefeated challenger Alexey Kunchenko at Ice Palace Sports Center in St. Petersburg, Rusland.

Abdulaev vs. Kunchenko replaces the rescheduled M-1 Challenge lightweight championship bout between defending champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui en uitdager Artem Damkovsky due to injuries suffered by both fighters during training camp.

M-1 Global has also announced an M-1 Challenge 65 match between former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divinich en M-1 Global debuteert Robert Turnquest.

Ramadan Emeev (13-3-0, M-1: 7-1-0), reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, neemt het op tegen de Braziliaanse uitdager Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (35-8-0, M-1: 0-0-0) in het M-1 Challenge 65 main event. Emeev vs. Falcao is an M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals match with the winner advancing to the final later this year against the other M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals winner, former three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0).

Abdulaev (13-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title last June at M-1 Challenge 58, taking a five-round decision from Marcelo Brito. A powerful striker always with knockout intentions, Abdulaev (shown above in action) has been out of action since then due to a variety of reasons.

Also a KO specialist like his fellow-Russian opponent, Kunchenko (12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) has stopped 10 zijn 12 victims inside the distance. The Russian (shown above kicking) was M-1 Global’s 2015 Prospect van het Jaar.

Divnich (11-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight crown December 19, 2014, registering a third-round technical knockout (stoten) vanDzhambulat Kurbanov (shown above getting hit by Divnich on right) bij M-1 Challenge 54.

Fighting out of Pensacola, Florida, Amerikaans, US Navy veteran Turnquest (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0) will be making his M-1 Global debut against Kunchenko. Turnquest (rechts afgebeeld) is the Atlas Fights welterweight champion who has a strong Judo background. He competed in the 2013 World Games for military competitors.

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