Category Archives: Russia

M-1, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 Arena grand opening and M-1 Challenge 100 to highlight 21st season for M-1 Global

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In January the new M-1 Arena is scheduled to open in Saint Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (December 29, 2017) — The grand opening of the state-of-the-art M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburgh, in addition to the celebration of M-1 Challenge 100 later in 2018, will highlight M-1 Global’s 21st season.
Plans in 2018 also include more events, expansion into new countries and, as the No. 2 MMA organization in the world, to keep giving its fans world-class competition, entertaining match-ups, innovative developments and even a few surprises.
M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein discussed a few of these subjects (see below) prior to the holidays.
Can you tell us about the new M-1 Arena?
VF: “M-1 Arena is an absolutely unique structure seating a maximum of 3000. It is built in the form of the Colosseum, stone and wood, with an incredible dome made of glulam, which gives the place perfect acoustics. Not only can we promote sporting events, but also music concerts. M-1 Arena allows us to have even more events and realize new ideas like, for example, a reality show. M-1 Arena will be multifunctional but martial arts will be the main form of entertainment held there.”
M-1 Challenge was more international last year in terms of showcasing more fighters from different countries like USA, Portugal, UK, Canada, South Korea, China, etc.  Do you plan to expand your fighter base even more this year and, if so, what countries are you targeting for fighters?
VF: “Usually, we hire fighters from countries where our events are being broadcasted. If we have new contracts with the countries from where we don’t have representative fighters, or only have a few of them, we are going to increase their number. The same for countries where we’ve held events because fans desire to see the local athletes fighting in the Rage. We give them an opportunity to see that.”
With the success of female MMA stars around the world do you plan to add a female division in 2018?
VF: “One day we will probably create a female division in M-1 Global. Right now, though, we don’t have enough strong female fighters to do it, yet. As soon as we are ready to make this happen, it will be done, but we don’t want to open a new division just to check the box. We want the best fighters to compete at the highest level.”
M-1 Global is closing in on your 100th M-1 Challenge event.  Do you plan to promote your 100th event in 2018?  If so can you provide any additional information about when, where, special plans, etc.
VF: M-1 Global has already promoted more than 200 events, including 85 M-1 Challenges, which was created in 2008. I think that this event will happen either in Saint-Petersburg or in Moscow, but we still have a lot of time left and a dozen other events before it. We are going to take care of it a bit later.”
M-1 has developed fighters who’ve moved on to the UFC and other organizations.  How do you feel about that trend?  Does it frustrate you that you to spend time building a fighter and then have him move on, or do you look at it as a compliment that M-1 Global develops fighters who can compete in the UFC and any other organization?
VF: “We can consider this situation from different perspectives. I’m not happy to let my best fighters go, of course, but it is what it is, and we are not ready to compete with UFC yet. Sometimes our fighters leave us. From another perspective, we are happy that our fighters who leave keep winning fights and become the top competitors in other promotions. It proves that the level of M-1 Global fighters is equal to the level of UFC fighters. The top athletes who left M-1 Global for UFC are in top positions there and other promotions don’t have such results. Other organization may make their fighters popular but, as soon as they move to UFC, they start losing and get released.
“Our company is probably the second MMA promotion in the world and when some fighters move to the strongest league on the planet, they take a step forward, which I like much better than when they move to weaker promotions than M-1 Global just to make more money.”
Any plans to do anything different this year than in the past, outside of the grand opening of the M-1 arena and possible 100th event?
VF: “The main difference will be that we are going to have our own home, M-1 Arena, which means we will be able to hold even more events. We’d like to have two events each month, 24 events a year. We opened our own TV channel (M1global.tv) and next year, MMA fans from former Soviet Republics will have an opportunity to watch all the fights. Using our iOS and Android App, viewers from all over the world can watch old and new fights right now, and next year we are going to make it even better. We are also going to create our own studio to produce different content, probably a new reality show with fighters from different countries.”
Will you have showcase M-1 Medieval fights this coming year?
VF: “Apparently, we will have some medieval fights in 2018, but the only issue is that we have a lot of fighters under contract, so it is not easy to find a place for M-1 Medieval fights on our cards. We make knight fights in regions where they are popular, like in Ingushetia and Finland in 2017, because fans demonstrated to us that they want to see them. I hope one day we’ll have more resources for them.”

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M-1 Global’s 20th anniversary a smashing success in 2017

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M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (December 27, 2017) — M-1 Global celebrated its 20thanniversary in style this past year, reestablishing itself as the preeminent mixed-martial-arts organization in Europe and Russia.
M-1 promoted 13 Challenges in 2017, 11 across Russia, as well as one each in China and Finland. Fighters from around the world competed including MMA superstars such as Sergey Kharitonov and Alexander Shlemenko, as well as rising stars Alexey Kunchenko and Artem Frolov.
M-1 Global founder and president Vadim Finkelchtein reviewed the 2017 season, answering a series of questions below:
Overall, how do you evaluate the 2017 M-1 Challenge season in terms of achievements and accomplishments as a promotional company?
VF: “First of all, we increased the number of events. Some were even rated among top 5 monthly sporting events on television, which is really an incredible achievement. We’ve almost finished building our new M-1 Arena and produced our own M-1 Be Strong Protein milkshake.”
You promoted events in different countries this past year like Finland.  Was M-1 embraced by those fans and, if so, why do you think so?
VF: “We held our first event in Finland and it was really successful. M-1 Challenge 82took place in Hartwall Arena, one of the largest venues in Finland, located in the capital of Helsinki. Many fans came to watch our promotion’s debut in that country and it became one of the biggest MMA events in Finland history. Scandinavia is a very interesting region for us. We have many fighters from Finland and next year we are going to hold another event there.
“We also had a big event in Harbin, China, which was a part of cultural program of Economic Forum. Many VIP visitors and thousands of fans gathered to watch the fights and it was a superb event. China is a prospective MMA market and we are going to work further, featuring more fighters from this country, and promote one or two event a year there.
“Next year, we are going to promote even more events in other countries, planning to hold M-1 Challenge shows in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, Finland, Germany and the USA.”
What was the M-1 highlight of the year?
VF: “This past year we had a lot of remarkable events and fights, so it’s very difficult to choose just one highlight. If I had to choose, the rematch between Alexander Shlemenko and Brandon Halsey was the highlight of the year. Thousands of people in Saint Petersburg on June 1st came to see the rematch and that liver-kick Alexander delivered made the crowd go crazy. In the first fight, Brandon won in 35 seconds, so Alexander wanted to revenge fast and it took him just 25 seconds. That was unbelievable and unforgettable!”
Compared to past years in what areas did M-1 improve in 2017?
VF: “Each year we have more high-level fighters and that is the main difference. MMA has been developing around the world and the competition is always getting tougher. Only the best fighters receive an opportunity to sign a contract with M-1 Global. We have an opportunity to choose the best fighters, increasing the level of fights, to make it impossible to predict the winners in advance. Furthermore, we increased the number of events and TV coverage with some new TV contracts worldwide.”
This was your 20th year.  When you started 20 years ago did you envision the success M-1 has had in MMA?
VF: “I could not imagine MMA would become so popular. I went through the entire MMA evolution and the past 20 years I’ve been working on the promotion to make it better each year. The path was not easy because many years ago this kind of sport was considered criminal. Many called it fights without rules and I had to work hard to make people think about it as a legitimate sport.”
M-1 added the flyweight division this past year.  Why and was it successful in the eyes of fans?
VF: “Flyweight fighters can produce incredible performances. It was necessary for us to create this division because we knew that there were lot of good flyweight fighters. They wanted to fight in M-1 and we made it happen. We already have the first champion and a several tough contenders. In 2018, the flyweight division will be very interesting.”
M-1 CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS
HEAVYWEIGHT (265 lbs., 120,2 kg)
VACANT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (205 lbs., 93,0 kg)
VACANT
MIDDLEWEIGHT (185 lbs., 83,9 kg)
 
Artem Frolov (10-0-0 (M-1: 7-0-0), Russia
WELTERWEIGHT (170 lbs., 77,1 kg)
 
Alexey Kunchenko (17-0-0 (M-1: 9-0-0), Russia
LIGHTWEIGHT (155 lbs., 70,3 kg)
 
Damir Ismagulov (14-2-0 (M-1: 9-1-0), Russia by way of Kazakhstan
FEATHERWEIGHT (145 lbs., 65,8 kg)
 
Khamzat Dalgiev (10-1-0 (M-1: 7-1-0), Russia
BANTAMWEIGHT (135 lbs., 61,2 kg)
 
Movsar Evloev (8-0-0 (M-1: 8-0-0), Russia
 
FLYWEIGHT (125 lbs., 56,7 kg)
 
Aleksander Doskalchuk (8-1-0 (M-1: 3-4-1), Ukraine
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M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 CHALLENGE 86 OFFICIAL RESULTS

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Khamzat Dalgiev stops defending champion
Ivan Buchinger in opening round to capture
M-1 Challenge featherweight title
And the new M-1 Challenge featherweight champion…..Khamzat Dalgiev
INGUSHETIA, Russia (November 25, 2017) — Russian challenge Khamzat Dalgievended the three-year plus reign of Ivan “Buki” Bunchinger as M-1 Challenge featherweight champion, knocking the Slovakian in the opening round in last night’s M-1 Challenge 86: Battle of the Narts” main event, in Ingushetia, Russia.
M-1 Challenge 86 showcased MMA fighters from a dozen different countries: Russia, USA, Slovakia, Finland, Canada, France, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
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Buchinger (32-6-0, M-1: 7-2-0) originally captured his M-1 Challenge featherweight title more than three years ago, when he knocked out Tural Ragimov in the fourth round of their M-1 Challenge 52 Fight of the Night, also held in Ingushetia. Buchinger had made two title defenses, winning a five-round unanimous decision over Mansour Barnaoui atM-1 Challenge 62 on October 10, 2016, as well as in his last action this past June atM-1 Challenge 80 in China, at which he locked in a choke to defeat Timor Nagibin by fourth-round submission this past June.
The newly crowned M-1 Challenge featherweight champion, Dalgiev (10-1-0, M-1: 6-2-0), extended his win streak to 10 consecutive victories since he lost his pro debut.
Russian Mikhail Ragozin (9-3-0), M-1: 2-1-0) knocked out American Joseph “Leonidas” Henle (10-3-1, M-1: 1-1-0), who made his M-1 Global debut, on punches in the third round of the co-featured event that was contested at a 196-pound catchweight.
Finnish lightweight Aleksi Mantykivi (11-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0) and Canadian bantamweightChris “The Greek Assassin” Kelades (12-3-0, M-1: 1-0-0) both made strong statements against their Russian opponents in their M-1 Global debuts with submission victories. Mantykivi used a Guillotine choke to defeat Bashier Gagiev (5-3-0, M-1: 2-1-0), of Russia, in the second round, while Kelades employed a Kimura for his win over Russian Oleg Lichkovakha (8-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0) in the third frame.
In the main card opener, Kyrgyzstan featherweight) Busurmankut Abdibait Uulu (9-2-1, M-1: 1-0-1) punched out his Brazilian foe, veteran Diego Davella (18-7-1, M-1: 1-2-1), in the opening round.
On the preliminary card, Ukrainian welterweight Alexander “Iron Capture” Butenko(45-12-3, M-1: 11-2-1) registered the 45th win of his professional MMA career, when the doctor halted the action after one round versus Elerzhan Narmurzaev (4-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), of Kyrgyzstan. Georgian featherweight Soso “Stechkin” Nizharadze (5-4-0, M-1: 2-0-0) took a three-round unanimous decision over Russian Adam Gagiev (3-3-1, M-1: 2-2-0), Azerbaijan heavyweight Zaur Gadzhibabyev (6-1-0, M-1: 4-0-0) knocked outNikolay Savilov, of Russia, in the first round on punches, and Brazilian lightweightRubenilton “Rubinho” Pereira (8-5-0, M-1: 2-2-0) put Russian Lom Al-Nalgiev (14-6-0, M-1: 5-1-0) to sleep via punches in the opening round.
In a pair of pre-undercard fights, Russian bantamweight prospect Selem Evloev (4-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) kept his perfect record intact, unloading a bevy of punches on UkrainianDmitry Orlov (2-4-1, M-1: 1-1-0) for a first-round technical knockout, while UkrainianYuri Chobuka (8-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0) improved his record to 8-1-1 with a first-round submission triumph by way of Guillotine choke versus Akhmadkhan Bokov (2-3-0, M-1: 2-1-0), of Russia, at a 150-pound catchweight.
Complete results, video of each fight, and more pictures below:
MAIN CARD
MAIN EVENT – M-1 CHALLENGE FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Khamzat Dalgiev (10-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0), Russia
WKO1 (Punches – 2:35)
Ivan Buchinger(32-6-0, M-1: 7-2-0), Slovakia
(Dalgiev won M-1 Challenge featherweight title)
CO-FEATURE – 196 LBS. CATCHWEIGHT
Mikhail Ragozin (9-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
WKO3 (Punches – 4:59)
Joseph Henle (10-3-1, M-1: 0-1-0), USA
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Aleksi Mantykivi, Finland
WSUB2 (Guillotine Choke – 1:06)
Bashir Gagiev (5-3-0, M-1: 2-1-), Russia
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Chris Kelades 12-3-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Canada
WSUB3 (Kimura – 1:37)
Oleg Lichkovakha (8-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Busurmankut Abdibait Uulu (9-2-1, M-1: 1-0-1), Kyrgyzstan
WTKO (Punches – 4:12)
Diego Davella (18-6-1, M-1: 1-2-1), Brazil
PRELIMINARY CARD
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Arnaud Kherfallakh (5-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), France
WSUB1 (Guillotine Choke – 1:48)
Vaha Shankhoev (5-4-0, M-1: 4-3-0), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Soso Nizharadze (5-4-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Georgia
WDEC3
Adam Gagiev (3-3-1, M-1: 2-2-0), Russia
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Zaur Gadzhibabyev (6-1-0, 4-0-0), Azerbaijan
WKO1 (Punch – 4:33)
Nikolay Savilov (10-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
WELTERWEIGHTS
Alexander Butenko (45-12-3, M-1: 11-2-1), Russia
WSUB1 (Arm-bar – 5:00)
Elerzhan Narmurzaev (4-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Kyrgyzstan
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Rubenilton Pereira (18-5-0, M-1: 2-2-0)
WKO1 (Punch – 3:08)
Lom-Ali Nalgiev (14-6-0, M-1: 5-1-0)
PRE – UNDERCARD
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Selem Evloev (3-0-0, M-1 3-0-0), Russia
WTKO1 (Punches 4:36)
Dmitry Orlov (2-3-0, M-1: 1-1-0) , Ukraine
150 LBS. CATCHWEIGHT
Yuri Chobuka (8-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine
WSUB1 (Guillotine Choke – 2:14)
Akhmadkhan Bokov (2-3-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
 
(click on picture for ID’s)
 
 
 

 
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Ivan Buchinger defends   M-1 Challenge featherweight title vs.  Khamzat Dalgiev to headline M-1 Challenge 86

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This Friday in Ingushetia, Russia
Ivan Buchinger (R) has been the M-1 Challenge featherweight champion for 3 years
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (November 20, 2017) – M-1 Global holds one of its final events of the year on Friday night, featuring M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger in his title defense against challenger Khamzat Dalgiev in the M-1 Challenge 86: Battle of the Narts in Ingushetia, Russia.
M-1 Challenge 86 will be streamed live from Ingushetia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
M-1 Challenge 86 will showcase MMA fighters from 12 different countries: Russia, USA, Slovakia, Finland, Canada, France, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
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Buchinger (32-5-0, M-1: 7-1-0), fighting out of Slovakia, captured his M-1 Challenge featherweight title more than three years ago, when he knocked out Tural Ragimov in the fourth round of their M-1 Challenge 52 Fight of the Night, also held in Ingushetia. Buchinger has made two title defenses, winning a five-round unanimous decision over Mansour Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 62 on October 10, 2016, as well as in his last action this past June at M-1 Challenge 80 in China, at which he locked in a choke to defeat Timor Nagibin by fourth-round submission this past June.
After losing his pro debut, Dalgiev (9-1-0, M-1: 6-1-0), of Russia, has reeled-off nine consecutive victories to position himself as the top M-1 Global featherweight contender. In his last fight Dalgiev submitted Dragan Pesic at M-1 Challenge 79 with a heel hook and before that at M-1 Challenge 73, he earned a bonus Submission of the Night, using a choke to force Christian Holley into a second-round submission (see picture below).

In the co-featured event, to be contested at a 196-pound catch-weight, Russian favorite Mikhail Ragozin (8-3-0, M-1: 2-1-0) takes on debuting M-1 Global American, Joseph “Leonidas” Henle (10-2-1, M-1: 0-0-0).
Also scheduled to fight on the M-1 Challenge 86 main card are Finnish lightweight Aleksi Mantykivi (10-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0) vs. Russian Bashir Gagiev (5-2-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Canadian bantamweight Chris “The Greek Assassin” Kelades (11-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), also making his M-1 Global debut, vs. Russian Oleg Lichkovakha (8-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), and Brazilian featherweight Diego Davella (18-6-1, M-1: 1-1-1) vs. Busurmankut Abdibait Uulu (8-2-1, M-1: 0-0-1), of Kyrgyzstan.
The loaded preliminary card has Russian lightweight Lom-Ali Nalgiev (14-5-0, M-1: 5-0-0) vs. Brazilian Rubenilton “Rubinho” Pereira (17-5-0, M-1: 1-2-0), veteran Ukrainian welterweight Alexander “Iron Capture” Butenko (44-12-3, M-1: 10-1-1) vs. Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov (18-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan heavyweight Zaur Gadzhibabyev (5-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) vs. Russian Nikolay Savilov (10-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), and Russian featherweight Adam Gagiev (3-2-1, M-1: 2-1-0) vs. Soso “Stechkin” Nizharadze (4-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0), of Georgia.
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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:
 
M-1 Challenge 86: Nov. 24, 2017 in Ingushetia, Russia
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

Damir Ismagulov takes decision in Super Fight over Rogerio Karranca 

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M-1 CHALLENGE 85 RESULTS
M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Damir Ismagulov (on top) won a decision over Rogerio Karranca in their non-title, Super Fight at M-1 Challenge 85
MOSCOW (November 11, 2017) — M-1 Challenger lightweight champion Damir Ismagulov defeated Rogerio Karranca in a non-title, Super Fight last night in the M-1 Challenge 85main event, at the Ice Palace in Moscow.
In another true international MMA event, 10 different countries were represented by the 24 fighters: Russia, USA, Brazil, Georgia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Croatia, Switzerland and Spain.
Ismagulov (13-2-0, 8-1-0), fighting out of Russia by way of Kazakhstan, needed all five rounds to take a decision over his Brazilian opponent, M-1 Global pro-debuting Karranca (13-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0).
In the co-featured event, American featherweight Nate “The Train” Landwehr (10-2-0, M-1: 2-0-0) took a three-round decision from always tough Viktor Kolesnik (11-3-1, M-1: 2-1-1), of Russia.
Georgian light heavyweight Giga Kukhalashvili (9-3-0, M-1: 2-0-0), undefeated Russian lightweight Abubakar Mestoev (6-0-0, M-1: 6-0-0) and Kazakh flyweight Arman Ashimov(7-2-1, M-1: 2-0-0) all registered opening-round knockout via punches, respectively, over late replacement Sebastian Heil (6-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), of Germany, Russian Alexey “Ataman” Makhno (16-6-0, M-1: 4-3-0) and Rodrigo “Bad Boy” Melonio (16-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), of Germany.
On the preliminary card, former M-1 Challenge champion Maxim Divnich (13-3-0, M-1: 7-4-0), fighting out of Russia, lost a decision to hot Russian lightweight prospect Ruslan Rakhmonkulov (11-1-1, M-1: 1-0-0), who was making his M-1 Global debut.
American featherweight “The Finisher” Josh Rettinghouse (16-4-0, M-1: 4-0-0) took a three-round decision over Ukranian Alexander Luna (21-11-0, M-1: 1-1-0), as did Ukrainian Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev (17-7-0, M-1: 5-3-0) versus Russian Ilfat Amirov (9-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0).
Russian middleweight used a rear-naked choke for a second-round submission win against Croatian Kristijan Perak (9-4-2, M-1: 0-3-2) and Russian bantamweight Sergey Klyuev(5-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0) remained unbeaten using an arm-bar for a first-round victory by way of an opening round submission of previously unbeaten Spaniard Oscar Suarez (3-1-1, M-1: 0-1-0).
Georgian flyweight Vazha Tsiptauri (3-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0) employed a Guillotine Choke for a third-round win by submission over his Swiss opponent, Frederico Gutzwiller (3-3-0, M-1: 1-1-0), while Maxim Yakobyuk (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0) forced Victor “Tatra” Trushov (2-1-0) into a second-round submission in a battle of Russian heavyweights.
Complete results and photo gallery gallery (click on pictures for IDs):
 
MAIN CARD
MAIN EVENT – LIGHTWEIGHT SUPER FIGHT
Damir Ismagulov (13-2-0, M-1: 8-1-0), Kazakhstan by way of Russia
WDEC5
Rogerio Karranca (13-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil
CO-FEATURE FEATHERWEIGHTS
Nate Landwehr (10-2-0, M-1: 2-0-0), USA
DEC3
Victor Kolesnik (11-3-1, M-1: 2-1-1), Russia
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Giga Kukhalashvili (9-3-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Georgia
WKO1 (Punches – 1:16)
Sebastian Heil (6-2-0, M-1; 0-1-0), Germany
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Abubaker Mestoev (6-0-0, M-1: 6-0-0), Russia
WKO1 (Punches – 3:27)
Alexey Makhano (16-6-0, M-1: 4-3-0), Russia
FLYWEIGHTS
Arman Ashimov (7-2-1, M-1: 2-0-0), Kazakhstan
WKO1 (Punches – 3:27)
Rodrigo Melonio (16-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil
PRELIMINARY CARD
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Maxim Yakobyuk (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WSUB2 (Side Choke – 1:16)
Victor Trushov (2-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Vitaliy Slipenko (9-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia
WSUB2 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:19)
Kristijan Perak (9-4-2, M-1: 0-3-2), Croatia
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ruslan Rakhmonkulov (11-1-1, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Maxim Divnich (13-3-0, M-1: 7-4-0), Russia by way of Ukraine
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Sergey Klyuev (5-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WSUB1 (Arm Bar – 0:45)
Oscar Suarez (3-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Spain
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Andrey Lezhnev (17-7-0, M-1: 5-3-0), Ukraine
WDEC3
Ilfat Amirov (9-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia
Josh Rettinghouse (16-4-0, M-1: 4-0-0), USA
WDEC3
Aleksander Lunga (21-11-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Ukraine
FLYWEIGHTS
Vazha Tsiptauri (2-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Georgia
WSUB3 (Guillotine Choke – 0:32)
Frederico Gutzwiller (3-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Switzerland, 124,78 lbs. (56,6 kg.)

 

 
 

 

 

 
From Russia with love…..

…..M-1 Ring Card Girls
 
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Damir Ismagulov vs. Rogerio Karranca M-1 Challenge 85 Super Fight

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Giga Kukhalashvili vs. Stephan Puetz in co-feature
Nov. 10 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia
 Damir Ismagulov (R) is the M-1 Challenge 85 headliner
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (November 2, 2017) – The stars will be out November 10at M-1 Challenge 85, featuring M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Damir Ismagulov, at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
M-1 Challenge 85 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition onwww.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
M-1 Challenge 85 is a true international event with representatives of 10 different countries: Russia, USA, Brazil, Germany, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Georgia, Switzerland, Ukraine and Spain.
Ismagulov (12-2-0, M-1: 7-1-0), fighting out of Kazakhstan, captured his title this past May at M-1 Challenge 78, stopping Maxim Divnich (12-2-0) via punches in round four. Ismagulov is riding a seven-fight win streak into this non-title, main event fight against Brazilian challenger Rogerio Karranca (13-2-0), who will be making his M-1 Global debut.
Georgian light heavyweight Giga Kukhalashvili (8-3-0, M-1: 1-0-0) steps up in class to take on former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan “T-800” Puetz (15-3-0, M-1: 6-2-0, of Germany.
  Stephan Puetz (R) will try to position himself for another title shot
Other main card matches are American featherweight Nate “The Train” Landwehr(9-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0) vs. Russian Viktor Kolesnik (11-2-1, (M-1: 2-0-1), Abubakar Mestoev vs. Alexey “Ataman” Makhno (16-5-0, M-1: 4-2-0) in battle of Russian lightweights, and Kazakhstan bantamweight Arman Ashimov (6-2-1, M-1: 1-0-0) vs.Rodrigo “Bad Boy” Melonio (16-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), of Brazil.
The loaded preliminary card has seven fights: Russian lightweight and former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Divnich (13-2-0, M-1: 7-3-0) vs. Russian Ruslan Rakhmonkulov (10-1-1, M-1: 0-0-0), Russian middleweight Vitaliy Slipenko (8-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0) vs. Croatian Kristijan Perak (9-3-2, M-1: 0-2-2), Georgian middleweightVazha Tsiptauri (2-1-0, M-1 0-0-0) vs. Frederico Gutzwiller (3-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0), of Switzerland, American bantamweight “The Finisher” Josh Rettinghouse (15-4-0, M-1: 3-0-0) vs. Ukrainian Alexander Lunga (21-10-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukrainian featherweightAndrey “Iron” Lezhnev (16-7-0, M-1: 4-3-0) vs. Russian Ilfat Amirov (9-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Spanish bantamweight Oscar Suarez (3-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0) vs. Russian Sergey Klyuev (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), and Russian heavyweight Victor “Tatra” Trushnov (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0) vs. fellow countryman Maxim Yakobyuk (1-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0).
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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:
 
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 CHALLENGE 84 RESULTS & PICTURES

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Alexey Kunchenko stops Sergey Romanov in
1st round to retain title and remain undefeated
 
Artiom Frolov defeats Caio Magalhaes
Captures vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight title

(L-R) — M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein &
M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Alexey Kunchenko
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (October 27, 2017) – M-1 Challenge welterweight championAlexey Kunchenko retained his title, improving hid professional mixed-martial-arts record to 19-0-0, in last night’s M-1 Challenge 84 main event in St. Petersburg Russia.
Undefeated Artiom Frolov (10-0-0), of Russia, captured the vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight title, taking a five-round decision from Caui “Hellboy” Malgahaes (10-34-0).
  Kunchenko pounds Romanov
Kunchenko, fighting out of Russia, stopped his challenger and fellow countryman,Sergey Romanov (11-2-0), via punches in the opening round, highlighting the 20thanniversary of promotional company M-1 Global. Kunchenko and Romanov both started the action unbeaten in M-1 Global competition, Kunchenko at 8-0-0, 5-0-0 for Romanov.
  Frolov lands “money punch” on Malgahaes
Frolov won a tough five-round decision from Brazilian veteran Malgahaes in the co-featured event.
American middleweight Joe “Diesel” Riggs registered his 46th career MMA victory, punching out Oleg Olenichev (9-5-0) in the third round, while Spanish middleweightEnoc Solves Torres (21-10-1) made quick work of Andrey Seledtzov (7-5-0), using an armbar for a win by way of first-round submission.
Russian bantamweight Bair Shtepin (5-2-0) upset employed a triangle choke to forces his Finnish opponent, Janne “Jamba” Elonen-Kulmala (15-6-1) by way of a third-round submission, and Russian lightweight prospect Roman Bogatov (3-0-0) won a three-round decision over German invader Sascha Sharma (13-4-0)..
 
Fighting on the preliminary card, Russian heavyweight Philip “F-11” De Freis (13-6-0, M-1: 1-0-0) won a majority decision over fellow countryman Anton Vyzigin (7-2-0), while Russian featherweight Zalimbek Omarov (9-2-1) won a unanimous decision against Sascha Sharma (13-4-0), of Germany.   Ilya Bochkov (2-1-0) stopped Arkady Lisin (5-2-0) and Dmitry Tebekin (7-3-0) won a unanimous decision over Vasily Volodko (2-1-0) in a pair of fights between Russian light heavyweights,
In three welterweight matches featuring six Russian fighters, Maksim Grabovich (6-3-0) used a rear naked choke to defeat Temirlan Sharipov (3-1-0) in the third round, and Danila Prikaza (8-2-1) took a decision from Akhmadkhan Ozdoev (4-1-1).
Complete results and more pictures below:
 
MAIN CARD
MAIN EVENT – M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexey Kunchenko (17-0-0, M-1: 9-0-0), Champion, Russia
WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 2:44)
Sergey Romanov (11-2-0, M-1: 5-1-0), Challenger, Russia
(Kunchenko M-1 Challenge welterweight title)
CO-FEATURE – VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Artem Frolov (10-0-0, M-1: 8-0-0), Russia
WDEC5
Caio Magalhaes (10-4-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Brazil
(Frolov won vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight title)
Joe Riggs (46-17-0, M-1: 2-0-0), USA
WKO/TKO (punches – 3:22)
Oleg Olenichev (9-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia
Enoc Solves Torres (21-10-1, M-1: 6-7-1), Spain
WSUB1 (Armbar – 0:44)
Andrey Seledtsov (7-5-0, M-1: 0-4-0), Russia
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Roman Bogatov (3-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Jani Salmi (9-4-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Finland
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Bair Shtepin (5-2-0, M-1: 2-2-0), Russia
WSUB3 (Triangle Choke – 4:44)
Janne Elonen-Kulmala (15-5-1, M-1: 1-0-1), Finland
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Arkadiy Lisin (5-0-0, M-1:0-0-0), Russia
Ilya Bochkov (3-1-0, M-1:1-1-0), Russia
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Philip DeFreis (13-6-0, M-1: 1-0-0), England
WDEC3
Anton Vyazigin (7-2-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Dmitry Tebekin (7-3-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
WDEC3
Vasily Volodko (2-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia
Ilya Bochkov (4-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
WKO/TKO2 (Punches – 4:24)
Arkady Lisin (5-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0)
WELTERWEIGHTS
Maksim Grabovich (6-3-0, M-1: 5-3-0), Russia
WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke (1:47)
Temirlan Sharipov (3-1-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia
Danila Prikaza (8-2-1, M-1: 5-2-0), Russia
WDEC3
Akhmadkhan Ozdoev (4-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Zalimbek Omarov (9-2-1, M-1: 6-1-1), Russia
WDEC3
Sascha Sharma (13-4-0, M-1: 3-2-0), Germany
 
 

(L-R) — Kunchenko was too much for Romanov to handle
 

Frolov drops Magalhaes on his head
 
INFORMATION:

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:
 
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia
Fight Network, GLORY, kickboxing, M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia, UFC

LIVE on Fight Network – UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Brunson vs. Machida PRELIMS, GLORY 47 Lyon & M-1 Challenge 84

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TORONTO – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a busy weekend in combat sports, highlighted by a live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Brunson vs. Machida PRELIMS on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET. On the same day, live coverage kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET with GLORY 47 SuperFight Series followed immediately by the GLORY 47 Lyon main card at 3:30 p.m. ET. But first, one day earlier, M-1 Selection 16 airs live on Friday, Oct. 27 at 12:00 p.m. ET followed immediately by M-1 Challenge 84 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET with four exciting bouts, as welterweights Vicente Luque (11-6-1) and Niko Price (10-0, 1NC) collide, Antonio Carlos Junior (9-2, 1NC) faces Jack Marshman (22-6) in a middleweight bout, lightweights Hacran Dias (23-5-1) and Jared Gordon (13-1) battle, while Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (17-5) and Max Griffin (13-3) open the telecast with an exciting welterweight matchup.

Ahead of the live PRELIMS, Fight Network will live broadcast the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW, featuring coverage from the industry’s premier mixed martial arts analysts, as former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans joins fellow analyst Kenny Florian with host Karyn Bryant and reporter Heidi Androl conducting on-site fighter interviews. At the conclusion of Saturday’s live main card on TSN2, the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW airs at approximately 1:00 a.m. ET, recapping all the exciting action.

On Saturday afternoon, GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, travels to Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France. Airing live at 1:00 p.m. ET, the GLORY 47 SuperFight Series features undefeated Florent Kaouachi (11-0, 3KO) making his GLORY debut against experienced veteran Abdarhmane Coulibaly (50-21, 23KO) in a light heavyweight affair, 23-year-old featherweight Massaro “The Project” Glunder (30-10-4, 20KO) draws Lyon’s Dylan Salvador (49-13-1, 21KO) for a tough test in enemy territory, No. 3-ranked super bantamweight contender Anissa Meksen (92-3, 29KO) goes toe-to-toe with No. 8-ranked Funda “Findik” Alkayis (29-2, 12KO), Ahaggan “Boom Boom” Yassine (27-6, 19KO) and Estonia’s Maxim Vorovski (30-3-1, 14KO) meet at middleweight, plus top welterweight prospects Alim “Professor” Nabiyev (45-6, 21KO) and Jimmy Vienot (56-12, 27KO) kick off the action.

The GLORY 47 Lyon main card at 3:30 p.m. ET is headlined by reigning GLORY light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov (18-5, 5KO) defending his belt against No. 2-ranked challenger Ariel Machado(45-8, 34KO). In other action, former GLORY welterweight champion “The Best” Cedric Doumbe (67-5-1, 39KO) begins his campaign back to title contention against heavy-handed veteran Yohan “Le Bucheron” Lidon (93-36-1, 56KO), plus a one-night, single-elimination featherweight contender tournament, as multiple-time French kickboxing champion Abdellah Ezbiri (43-12-1, 13KO) meets fellow French-Moroccan Azize “The Magician” Hliali (17-14-1, 2KO), while local favorite Fabio Pinca (102-25-3, 42KO) goes up against Uzbekistan’s Anvar Boynazarov (79-20-2, 45KO) on the other side of the bracket.

M-1 Global returns to Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday, Oct. 27, beginning with M-1 Selection 16 live at 12:00 p.m. ET, featuring Spain’s Enoc Solves Torres (20-10-1) against Russian Andrey Seledtsov (7-4) in a middleweight bout, British heavyweight Phil De Fries (12-6) battling Russia’s Anton Vyazigin (8-1), India’s Sascha Sharma (14-3) facing Zalimbeg Omarov (8-2-1) in a featherweight tilt,Akhmadian Ozdoev (4-0) risking his perfect record against Daniil Prikaza (7-2-1) in a clash of Russian welterweights, plus Maxim Grabovich (5-5) takes on Timerlan Sharipov (4-1) in an all-Russian welterweight duel.

The M-1 Challenge 84 main card airs live at 2:30 p.m. ET, headlined by an M-1 welterweight championship fight between Russian standouts Alexey Kunchenko (16-0) and Sergey Romanov (12-1). In the co-main event, Brazil’s Caio Magalhaes (10-3) throws down with undefeated Russian Artem Frolov (9-0) for the M-1 middleweight crown. Rounding out the stacked line-up, battle-tested American veteran Joe Riggs (46-17) enters hostile territory against Russian middleweight Oleg Olenichev (9-4), Finland’s Janne Elonen-Kulmala (15-5-1) meets Russia’s Bair Shtepin (4-2) in a bantamweight bout and Finnish lightweight prospect Jani Salmi (9-3) looks to hand Russia’s Roman Bogatov (3-0) his first blemish.

The UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS, PREFIGHT SHOW and POSTFIGHT SHOW, plus GLORY 47 SuperFight Series, GLORY 47 Lyon and the M-1 Challenge 84 main card, will all be televised live exclusively in Canada, while M-1 Selection 16 airs live in Canada, the U.S. and over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

For More Information Contact:

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Ariel Shnerer
Director, Programming & Communications
ashnerer@anthemse.com

About Fight Network

Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated tocomplete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel isavailable on over eight of the top 20 video providers in the U.S., all major carriers in Canada, Roku andApple TV devices across North America, over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East andon TSN Radio in Canada via its program “Live Audio Wrestling.” Fight Network is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., a leading global sports media company. Fight Network also operates Dare to Defend, a non-profit organization aimed at addressing the issue of domestic violence and gender inequality, empowering women in the process.
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 Challenge 84   Alexey Kunchenko vs. Sergey Romanov OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & PICTURES  

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This Friday in Saint Petersburg, Russia
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (October 26, 2017) – The official weigh in was held today fortomorrow’s M-1 Challenge 84 in St. Petersburg Russia. See weights and pictures below.
M-1 Challenge 83 will be streamed live from Saint Petersburgh in high definition onwww.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
 
MAIN CARD
MAIN EVENT – M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
 (R) Alexey Kunchenko(16-0-0, M-1: 8-0-0), Champion, Russia,76,7 kg. (169,1 lbs.)
(L) Sergey Romanov (11-1-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Challenger, Russia, 77,1 kg. (169,9 lbs.)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS — 3 X 5
 
 
 
 (L) Caio “Hellboy” Magalhaes (10-3-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Brazil, 83,9 kg. (184,9 lbs.)
(R) Artem Frolov (9-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), Russia, 83,9 kg. (184,9 lbs.)
(L) Joe “Diesel” Riggs (45-17-0, M-1: 1-0-0), USA, 83,5 kg. (184,1 lbs.)
(R) Oleg Olenichev (9-4-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia, 83,3 kg. (183,6 lbs.)
 
(L) Enoc Solves Torres (20-10-1, M-1: 5-7-1), Spain, 83,8 kg. (184,7 lbs.)
(R) Andrey Seledtsov (7-4-0, M-1: 0-3-0), Russia, 83,2 kg. (183,4 lbs.)
BANTAMWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
(L) Janne Elonen-Kulmala (15-5-1, M-1: 1-0-1), Finland, 61 kg. (134,5 lbs.)
(R) Bair Shtepin (4-2-0, M-1: 1-2-0), Russia, 61 kg. (134,5 lbs.)
PRELIMINARY CARD
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Arkadiy Lisin (5-0-0, M-1:0-0-0), Russia, 93,4 kg. (205,9 lbs.)
Ilya Bochkov (3-1-0, M-1:1-1-0), Russia, 93,5 kg. (206,1 lbs.)
HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Philip “F-11” DeFreis (12-6-0, M-1: 0-0-0), England, 120 kg. (264,5 lbs.)
Anton Vyazigin (7-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia, 115,1 kg. (253,7 lbs.)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Vasily Volodko (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia, 93 kg. (205 lbs.)
Dmitry Tebekin (6-3-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia, 93 kg. (205 lbs.)
WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Temirlan Sharipov (3-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia, 77,1 kg. (169,9 lbs.)
Maksim Grabovich (5-3-0, M-1: 4-3-0), Russia, 76,9 kg. (169,5 lbs.)
Akhmadkhan Ozdoev (4-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Russia, 77,0 kg. (169,7 lbs.)
Danila Prikaza (7-2-1, M-1: 4-2-0), Russia, 77,0 kg. (169,7 lbs.)
LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Jani Salmi (9-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Finland, 72,0 kg. (158,7 lbs.)
Roman Bogatov (2-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia, 71,3 kg. (157,2 lbs.)
FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Sascha Sharma (13-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Germany, 65,8 kg. (145,1 lbs.)
Zalimbek Omarov (8-2-1, M-1: 5-1-1), Russia, 65,8 kg. (145,1 lbs.)
(All fights & fighters subject to change)
 
 
WHEN:           Friday, October 27, 2017
WHERE:         St. Petersburg, Russia
 
PROMOTER:  M-1 Global
LIVE STREAM: www.m1global.tv (12.00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT in USA)
INFORMATION:

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:
 
M-1 Challenge 84: October 27, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 85: November 10, 2017 in Moscow, Russia