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New M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Bruno Blindado Silva and his team celebrateCHELYABINSK, Russia (November 5, 2018) — Fists were flying last Friday night at M-1 Challenge 98 as ten of 12 fights ended prematurely, eight by way of knockout punches and two submissions, highlighted by Brazilian mixed-martial-arts veteran Bruno Blindado Silva‘s title-winning stoppage of previously undefeated M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Artem Frolov, in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Silva (19-6-0) has taken M-1 Global by storm. He became the top middleweight contender by knocking out Russian MMA star Alexander Shlemenko (56-11-1) in the opening round of M-1 Challenge 93 last June. With his fourth-round knockout by punches of another Russian, Frolov (11-1-0), the power-punching Silva has how stopped 16 of his 19 defeated opponents during his outstanding pro career.
The 27-year-old Frolov, who was 9-0-0 in M-1 competition going into his second title defense last Friday versus Silva, had signed a UFC contract and he was scheduled to fight last month at UFC Moscow. He was forced to withdraw due to injury.
In the co-featured event another undefeated fighter was knocked off, when Russian welterweight Sergey Romanov (15-3-0) handed his Swiss opponent, Urs Pablo Ortmann (8-1-0), his first pro loss, by way of a three-round unanimous decision.
Kazakhstan bantamweight Sergey Morozov (13-4-0) won a three-round unanimous decision over Bair Shtepin (7-3-0), of Russia.
Russian middleweight Ivan Bogdanov kept his unbeaten record intact, improving to 6-0-0, when he punched out Frenchman Emmanuel “Papou Lele” Dawa (7-3-0) in the third round.
Russian welterweight Boris Medvedev (4-0-0) remained unbeaten, locking in a Rear Naked Choke on his fellow countryman, David Zakaryan (1-1-0) for a win by first-round technical submission.
On the preliminary card, late replacement Oleg Popov (4-1-0) registered a second-round technical knockout of fellow Russian heavyweight, Yuriy Fedorov (1-1-0, 1 NC), in round two, while Russian lightweight Magomed Magomedov (12-3-0) put Frenchman Arnaud Kherfallah(5-2-0) to sleep in the opening round.
French middleweight Jean “Panqueca” Petrick (9-3-0) made an impressive M-1 debut by submitting always dangerous Talekh “The Azerbaijan Terminator” Nadzhafzade (7-3-1) with a North-South choke, and Ivan Tsygelnik (2-1-0) won his second pro bout by way of a first-round technical knockout via punches versus Maksim Baruzdin (1-1-0) in a battle of Russian heavyweights.
Denis Sulimov (3-0-0) knocked out Iliskhan Merzhoev (2-1-0) in the opening round on punches in a match between Russian lightweights, Russian lightweight Rizvan Simbagaev (4-1-0) was too much for his Ukrainian rival, Alexey Shanin (2-1-0), who was stopped on punches midway through the third and final round, and Russian featherweight Nikita Barkhajov (2-0-0) blasted-out Agoney Romero (7-5-1), of Spain, in round one.
The 24 competing fighters represented eight different countries: Russia, Brazil, France, Ukraine, Switzerland, Spain, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
Silva (top) finished off Frolov to win the M-1 Challenge middleweight title
Sergey Romanov (R) gave Urs Pablo Ortmann (L) his first pro loss
Sergey Morozov (R) decisioned Bair Shtepin
Undefeated Ivan Bogdanov (L) drilled Emmanuel Dawa
Boris Medvedev (L) connected vs. David Zakaryan
Frolov (on top) has a super ground attack
“On my way to Russia,” Riggs explained his journey, “we took an Uber to get to the airport. We had an accident. I wanted to take another Uber, but the cops would not let me leave, because they wanted to send me to the hospital to get checked. One of my cornermen had to go to the hospital because he was seated in the part of the car that has been damaged.
CO-FEATURE – M-1 CHALLENGE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
FLYWEIGHTS — 3 X 5
