Tag Archives: Denis Smoldarev

M-1, mixed martial arts, MMA

M-1 Grand Prix Tournament relaunched

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 20, 2016) – M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein recently announced the relaunching of its popular series, M-1 Grand Prix Tournament.
“We’ve been preparing this a long time and now we’re happy to officially announce our 2016 M-1 Grand Prix Tournament,” Finkelchtein said.  “This has been a very popular format and fans are always excited about it.  This time we will feature a 4-man tournament, rather than the usual 8-man pairings, because the 4-man version is faster and more entertaining.  We don’t want to bore people with long expectation periods and lessen the risk of occasional injuries and fighter changes in the tournament.”
The first M-1 Grand Prix match of 2016 is set in the middleweight division as three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) takes on former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0)at M-1 Challenge 64, February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.
“Well, we were choosing between several offers from different promotions,” explained Shlemenoko’s manager Alexey Zhernakov.  “In the end, we came to the conclusion that M-1 Grand Prix participation is the most interesting option for us at the moment.  Alexander is still under Bellator’s exclusive contract.  Therefore, we had to negotiate with Bellator, which kindly allowed us to sign with M-1 Global.  We expect Alexander Shlemenko to take part in major M-1 Challenge events as they are always organized at a high level and broadly covered by the media.”
M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register atwww.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA

M-1 Grand Prix 2016 Alexander Shlemenko vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky To headline M-1 Challenge 64, Feb. 19 in Moscow

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 17, 2016) – M-1 Global has officially announced the launching of the 2016 M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament series. The first match will be a showdown at M-1 Challenge 64, February 19 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow between three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and former M-1 Challenge middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
The dream battle between Russian favorites Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0) and Vasilevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0), featuring two of the most respected strikers in the middleweight division, strengthens an already explosive M-1 Challenge 64 card that includes an M-1 Challenge heavyweight title fight.
M-1 Global’s newly-signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, battles powerful Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.
Known as one of the strongest and most popular fighters in Russia, Schlemenko has knocked out 29 opponents, while the equally dangerous Vasilevsky is a five-time combat Sambo World Champion.
 
M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register atwww.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
 
Another previously announced main card match is a M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator, Pavel Vitruk(12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0) facing Sergey Morozov (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) with the winner advancing to fight for the vacant M-1 Challenge bantamweight title with the victor of a soon-to-be announced second title eliminator
Information

www.M1Global.tv

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@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
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M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA

Pavel Vitruk vs. Sergey Morozov M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator Added to M-1 Challenge 64, Feb. 19 in Moscow

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Volkov vs. Smoldaraev for vacant 
M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship
 
Barnaoui defends 
M-1 Challenge lightweight title vs. Damkovsky

(L-R) Sergey Morozov & Pavel Vitruk
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 14, 2016) – Another potentially explosive match has been added to an already top heavy-loaded M-1 Challenge 64, taking place February 19at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, as Pavel Vitruk takes on Sergey Morozov in a special M-1 Challenge bantamweight semifinal eliminator.
The M-1 Challenge 64 headliner finds newly M-1 Global-signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, against powerful Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.
In the co-feature, M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui (12-3-0, M-1: 2-2-0), fighting out of Paris, defends his title against Belarussian challengerArtiom Damkovsky (20-9-0, M-1: 10-6-0)
M-1 Challenge 64 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 of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
 
A native of Ukraine fighting out of St. Petersburg, Vitruk (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0) is coming off back-to-back losses to American Lee Morrison by decision at M-1 Challenge 55 and Max Coga by third-round decision at M-1 Challenge 58.  Representing the famed Alexander Nevsky Club in St. Petersburg, Vitruk has a strong Muay Thai foundation.  After fighting exclusively as a featherweight, Vitruk has decided to drop down one weight class and compete as a bantamweight.
 
 
Pavel Vitruk (R) displays his effective jab to set-up his other moves
 
The 26-year-old Morozov (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) is coming off a pair of impressive second-round stoppages via punches over Andy Young at M-1 Challenge 59 and Rijitigala Amuat M-1 Challenge 53.  The Kazakh is a hot bantamweight prospect who is equally comfortable on his feet or on the ground.
 

 
Morozov is shown here ready to unload on his opponent
 
The winner of Vitruk vs. Morozov will advance to fight the victor from a soon-to-be announced second title eliminator for the vacant M-1 Challenge bantamweight title.
Information

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
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M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA

Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui To defend M-1 Challenge lightweight title vs. Artiom Damkovsky  

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Alexander Volkov vs. Denis Smoldaraev for
Vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship 
M-1 Challenge 64, Feb. 19 in Moscow
(L-R) Artiom Damkovsky & Mansour Barnaoui
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (December 29, 2015) — M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui will make his first title defense, February 19 at Olympic Stadium, against Artiom Damkovsky at M-1 Challenge 64 in Moscow, Russia.
M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow 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 of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
In a previously announced title fight, newly M-1 Global-signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), of Russia, takes on Estonian challenger Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship.
Barnaoui (12-3-0, M-1: 2-2-0), fighting out of Paris, will be making his first title defense against a dangerous challenger. After defeating previously undefeated Maxim Divnich(10-0-0) (see picture below) by way of a first-round stoppage via punches, May 2, 2015 atM-1 Challenge 57, Barnaoui dropped down in weight and he unsuccessfully challenged M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan Buchinger this past October by five-round decision at M-1 Challenge 57.
Belarus-native Damkovsky (20-9-0, M-1: 10-6-0), shown below on mat, is riding a four-fight win streak to become the top contender going into his title fight showdown with Barnaoui.
Information

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

 

M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA

M-1 Global signs Heavyweight Alexander Volkov   Volkov vs. Smoldarev M-1 Challenge heavyweight title fight   M-1 Challenge 64, Feb. 19 in Moscow

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (December 15, 2015) – M-1 Global has announced its signing of Russian heavyweight sensation Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0) to an exclusive promotional contract.
Volkov will battle Denis Smoldarev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) February 19 for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship at M-1 Challenge 64 in Moscow, Russia.
The 27-year-old puncher from Moscow returns to the organization in which he made his professional mixed-martial-arts debut April 19, 2009, needing only 80-seconds to stop Nikolay Pleshokov in the second stage of the M-1 Challenge 2009.  Volkov went on to capture top honors in the finals of the M-1 Challenge 2009, defeating Ibragim Magomedov for the Russian Team Championships.
The 6′ 7″, 235-pound Volkov fought under the M-1 Global banner for the next two years, highlighted November 20, 2011 by his opening round punch-out of  in front of 20,000 fans at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson.
At that point, Volkov had won 14 of 17 pro MMA fights and the popular Russian fighter opened 2012 with an impressive decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.
Volkov had another victory before heading to the United States in order to test himself in Bellator competition.   He won his inaugural Bellator fight against powerful Brett Rogers, by decision at Bellator 75, in the Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament.
Two Bellator fights later, Volkov had extended his win streak to 10 in a row, improving overall to 19-3-0 via five-round decision over Richard Hale to capture the vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship, as well as finish first in the Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament in Hammond, Indiana, USA.
In his first fight of 2013, Volkov lost his Bellator heavyweight title in his first defense, as fellow countryman Vitaly Minakov recorded a first-round knockout in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.
However, Volkov rebounded with three straight wins in the Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight Tournament, defeating Bulgarian great Blaygoy Ivanov in the final by way of a second-round rear-naked choke hold.  Ivanov is best known, perhaps, for defeating living legend Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals on his way to winning the 2008 World Sambo Championships.
Feared as one of the most prolific strikers in MMA today, 17 of Volkov’s 24 overall victims to date were knocked out.
Volkov (pictured above to left) makes his M-1 Global return against Smoldarev, of Estonia, whose only loss as a professional was to Marcin Tybura (13-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0), who abdicated his M-1 Challenge heavyweight title to reportedly continue his career in the UFC.  Tybura made his first successful M-1 Challenge heavyweight title defense November 24, 2014, defeating Smoldarev by third-round submission (choke), at M-1 Challenge 54 in Beijing, China.
The 25-year-old Smoldarev (shown above in the black trunks) has impressive victories against Ante Delia, Maro Perak, Ahmed Sultanov and Shaban Ka.  Smoldarev is also a physical specimen, standing 6′ 5″ and weighing close to 270 pounds.
M-1 Challenge 64 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 of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
Information

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
Facebook:
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

 M-1 Challenge 55: In Memory of Guram Gugenishvili: OFFICIAL RESULTS

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Presents

M-1 CHALLENGE 55

Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015  *  Tbilisi, Georgia

 

Smoldarev defeats Perak

Garner, Kudukhashvili, Coga, Damkovsky, Abdulkerimov other winners

Denis Smoldarev knees Maro Perak

 

 

TBILISI, Georgia (Feb. 22, 2015) – Last night’s dramatic and entertaining M-1 Challenge 55: In Memory of Guram Gugenishvilli featured just about everything except a knockout. Past M-1 Challenge heavyweight Denis Smoldarev (10-1-0), of Estonia, positioned himself for another title shot, defeating highly-regarded Croatian opponent Maro Perak (23-5-1) in the main event at the Sports Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia.

 

Coming off a loss last November to M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura at M-1 Challenge 53 in Beijing, China, Smoldarev bounced back with an impressive performance over Perak, who lost via an opening round submission by key-lock.

 

In another heavyweight match, former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner (15-8-0), fighting out of Port St. Lucie, Florida, also rebounded from a TKO loss in his last fight to Sergei Kharitonov in China, winning by second-round submission with arear-naked choke of Aslambek “Titan” Musaev (5-2-0), of Chechnya.

 

Rising middleweight star Nodar Kudukhashvili (8-1-0), a 2013 WMMAA champion, pleased his hometown fans with a three-round unanimous decision over American invader Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (25-13-0).

 

In a battle between two of the top featherweight prospects in the world, German Max Coga (11-3-0) gave previously undefeated Pavel Vitruk (12-1-0) his first loss as a professional in a great fight. Coga locked-in a rear naked choke for a third-round submission victory over the talented Ukrainian.

 

Hometown favorite Artiom Damkousky (20-9-0) won his 20th career fight in a hard fought match with a three-round unanimous decision previously unbeaten Azerbaijan lightweight Heydar Mamedaliyev (7-1-0).

In another main card fight, Georgian giant Levan “Zangrief” Razmadze (5-1-0) suffered this first loss, by way of a first-round arm-bar submission to Russian heavyweight Arsen Abdulkerimov (8-2-0).

 

In preliminary fights, Spanish middleweight Enoc Solves Torres (16-8-0) defeated Russian foe Ibragim Tibilos (7-3-0) by third-round submission, using a rear-naked choke hold; Russian light heavyweight Batraz Agnaev (2-0-0) needed only a few minutes to lock-in a rear-naked choke to force his Polish opponent, Lukasz Borowski (3-3-0, into a first-round submission; Russian middleweight Artem Frolov (3-0-0) used a first-round rear-naked choke to submitArtur Oddilobekov (2-4-0), of Tajikistan; and local lightweight Raul Tutarauli (3-1-0), of Georgia, opened the show with a third-round submission (rear naked choke) of Russian Artur Aliev (1-1-1). In swing bouts held after the main event, featherweights Kurbanali Abdusalamov (4-2-0), of Russia, and Georgian pro-debuting Soso Nizharadze (1-0-0) won unanimous three-round decision over, respectively, Archil Tasziashvili (0-2-0), of Georgia, and Russian Shamil libekov (1-1-0).

Complete results and picture gallery below:

 

 

MAIN CARD

 

HEAVYWEIGHT:

Denis Smoldarev (10-1-0), Estonia             WSUB1 (Key-lock)                    Maro Perak (23-5-1), Croatia

 

Kenny Garner (15-8-0), USA      WSUB2 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:50) Aslambek Musaev (5-2-0), Chechnya

 

Arsen Abdulkerimov (8-2-0), Russia        WSUB1 (Armbar – 3:58)          Levan Razmadze (5-1-0), Georgia

MIDDLEWEIGHTS:

Nodar Kudukhashvili (8-1-0), Georgia              WDEC3               Luigi Fioravanti (25-13-0), United States

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS:

Artiom Damkovsky (20-9-0), Belarus               WDEC3               Heydar Mamedaliyev (7-1-0), Azerbaijan

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS:

Max Coga (11-3-0), Germany       WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:36)      Pavel Vitruk (12-0-0),  Ukraine

PRELIMINARY CARD

 

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:

Batraz Agnaev (2-0-0), Russia       WSUB1 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:09)     Lukasz Borowski (3-3-0), Poland

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS:

Enoc Solves Torres (16-8-0), Spain  WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke – 1:35)      Ibragim Tibilos (7-3-0), Russia

 

Artem Frolov (3-0-0), Russia   WSUB 1 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:09)   Artur Oddilobekov (2-4-0), Tajikistan

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS:

Raul Tutarauli (3-1-0), Georgia       WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke – 1:45)            Artur Aliev (1-1-0), Russia

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS:

Soso Nizharadze (1-0-0), Georgia                           WDEC3                                 Shamil Alibekov (1-1-0), Russia

Kurbanali Abdusalamov (4-2-0), Russia              WDEC3                       Archil Taziashvili (0-2-0), Georgia

 

 

 
Denis Smoldarev and Maro Perak exchange punches

 

 
Denis Smoldarev & Maro Perak

 

 
Kenny Garner has top position against Aslambek Musaev

 

 
Kenny Garner – Aslambek Museav

  
Kenny Garner celebrates

Max Coga connects with Pavel Vitruk

Man Coga defeats Pavel Vitruk

Msx Coga

Kurbanali Abdusalamov & Archil  Tasziashvili

 

 
Batraz Agnaev & Lukasz Borowski

 
Enoc Solves Torres chokes out Ibragim Tibilos

  
Heydar Mamedaliyev & Artiom Damkowvky

Levan Razmadze & Arsen Abdulkerimov

 

Upcoming M-1 Global Events: Apr. 10, 2015, M-1 Challenge 56 in Moscow, Russia; May 2, 2015, M-1 Challenge 57 in Orenburg, Russia.

 

Information

www.mixfight.ruwww.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

www.M-1Global.com

 

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1Global

@VFinkelchtein

@M1GlobalNews

 

Facebook:

 

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.

 

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show OFFICIAL WEIGHTS

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WATCH LIVE ON M-1GLOBAL.TV

MAIN CARD

 
(L-R) – Maro Perek, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Denis Smoldarev

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

MARO PERAK (23-4-1), Croatia, 216 lbs. (98.1 kg)

DENIS SMOLDAREV (9-1-0), Estonia, 266 ½ lbs. (121 kg)

 
(L-R) — Kenny Garner, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Aslambek Musaev

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

KENNY “Deuce” GARNER (14-8-0), United States, 263 lbs. (119.5 kg)

ASLAMBEK “Titan” MUSAEV (5-1-0), Chechnya, 211 lbs. (95.8 kg)

 
(L-R) – Luigi Fioravanti, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Nodar Kudukhashvili

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

NODAR KUDUKHASHVILI (7-1-0), Georgia, 182 ½ lbs. (82.9 kg)

LUIGI “The Italian Tank” FIORAVANTI (25-12-0), United States, 184 ½ lbs. (83.9 kg)

 
(L-R) – Max Coga, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Pavel Vitruk

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

PAVEL VITRUK (12-0-0), Ukraine, 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)                                    

MAX COGA (10-3-0), Germany, 144 ½ lbs. (65.5 kg)

 
(L-R) – Arsen Abdulkerimov, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Levan Razmadze

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

LEVAN “Zangrief” RAZMADZE (5-0-0), Georgia, 275 lbs. (124.9 kg)

ARSEN ABDULKERIMOV (7-2-0), Russia, 250 lbs. (113.6 kg)

 
Heydar Mamedaliyev, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Artiom Damkovsky

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

ARTIOM DAMKOVSKY (19-0-0), Belarus, 154 lbs. (70.1 kg)

HEYDAR MAMEDALIYEV (7-0-0), Azerbaijan, 157 lbs. (71.3 kg)

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

ENOC SOLVES TORRES (15-8-0), Spain *

IBRAGIM TIBILOS (7-2-0), Russia *

 

PRELIMINARY CARD

 
(L-R) – Raul Tutarauli, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Artur Aliev

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

ARTUR ALIEV (1-0-0 ), Russia, 153 lbs. (69.7 kg)
RAUL TUTARAULI (2-1-0), Georgia, 155 lbs. (70.4 kg)

 
(L-R) – Shamil Alibekov, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Soso Nizhardaze

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

SHAMIL ALIBEKOV (1-0-0 ), Russia, 142 ½ lbs. (64.8 kg)

SOSO NIZHARADZE (pro debut), Georgia, 142 ½ lbs. (64.8 kg) 
(L-R) – Batraz Agnaev, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Lukasz Borowski

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

LUKASZ BOROWSKI (3-2-0), Poland, 200 ½ lbs. (91.1 kg)

BATRAZ AGNAEV (1-0-0), Russia, 204 lbs. (92.6 kg)

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

ARTEM FROLOV (2-0-0), Russia, 183 ½ lbs. (83.4 kg)

ARTUR ODDILOBEKOV (2-3-0), Tajikistan *

 
(L-R) – Kurbananali Abdusalamov, M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Archil Taziashvili

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

KURBANANALI ABDUSALAMOV (3-2-0), Russia, 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)

ARCHIL TAZIASHVILI (0-1-0), Georgia, 143 lbs. (65.1 kg)

 

*Fighters hadn’t arrived yet in Tbilisi due to bad weather

 

WHAT:             M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show

 

WHEN:             Saturday, February 21, 2015

                        10:00 a.m. (New York City), 6:00 p.m. (Moscow)

 

WHERE:           Tbilisi, Georgia 1:30

 

PROMOTER:     M-1 Global

 

LIVE STREAM:  WWW.M1GLOBAL.TV

 

M-1 Challenge 55 will be streamed live from Georgia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the fights by logging on to register at 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 also watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets. The entire card will also be broadcast live, starting at 10:00 a.m. ET, on Fight Network viaCablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, and on Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

 
Denis Smoldarev

 
Former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner

 
(L-R) – M-1 Global promoter Vadim Finkelchtein and Kenny “Deuce” Garner

 

Information

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

www.M-1Global.com

 

Twitter & Instagram:
@M1Global

@VadimFinkelchtein

@M1GlobalNews

 

Facebook:

 

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.

 

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!
Fight Network, kickboxing, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

Super weekend of MMA & Kickboxing Action on Fight Network

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NEW YORK/TORONTO (Feb. 18, 2015) – A super weekend of mixed-martial-arts and kickboxing action is on tap this weekend on Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including live airings of M-1 Challenge 55 and KSW 30: Genesis, as well as pre and post-fight coverage of UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs. Mir.

 
Denis Smoldarev

 

M-1 Challenge kicks things off Saturday morning (Feb. 21) at 10 a.m. from Tbilisi, Georgia. The main event pits past M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Denis Smoldarev (9-1-0), known as the Brock Lesnar of Estonia, against Maro Perak (23-4-1). Former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner (14-8-0), fighting out Port St. Lucie, Florida, takes on Chechnya prospect Aslambek “Titan” Musaev (5-1-0).

 

Also fighting on M-1 Challenge 55 is 20013 WMMA champion and hometown favorite Nodar Kudukhashvili (7-1-0) vs. American middleweight Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (25-12-0) and undefeated Ukrainian featherweight contender Pavel Vitruk (12-0-0) vs. Germany’s Max Coga (10-3-0), as well as unbeaten lightweights Artiom Damkousky (19-0-0), of Belarus, vs. Azerbaijan challenger Heydar Mamedaliyev (7-0-0).

 

The MMA action continues on Fight Network at 1 p.m. ET with the live airing of KSW 30: Genesis from Posnan, Poland. Welterweights take the spotlight as hometown hero “The Tasmanian Devil” Borys Mankowski (16-5-1) faces Russian foe Michail “The Lonely Wolf” Tsarev (29-4-0) in the main event. In the co-feature, Rafal Moks (10-6-0) meets Aslambek Saidov (15-4-0) in a battle of Polish fighters.

 

Saturday night’s exciting programming on Fight Network continues at 5 p.m. ET with the showing of Ring of Combat 47 from January 24, 2014 in Atlantic City, NJ, featuring American lightweights Chris Wade vs. Pat Defranco and Frankie Perezvs. Mike Santiago.

 

Fight Network’s highly acclaimed news shows, Fight News Now: MMA Edition andFight News Now Extra, respectively, follow at 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. ET.

 

Final Fight Championship: Futures 1 MMA, from April 1, 2014 in Croatia, commences and 9:00 p.m. ET the furious action concludes with Final Fight Championship: Futures 1 Kickboxing, starting at 11 p.m. ET, from March 2, 2014 in Croatia.

 

The UFC takes center stage Sunday on Fight Network. A live pre-fight show for UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs. Mir begins at 5:00 p.m. with a live post-fight show airing at11:30 p.m. ET with highlights and the live press conference.

 

Brazilian heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (18-6-0) fights at home in the UFC Fight Night 61 main event against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (16-9-0), fighting out of Las Vegas.

 

 

Information:

 

www.FightNetwork.com

 

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

 

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork
ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK:  Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes in the U.S. and Canada and available on all major carriers in Canada, streaming live on website KlowdTV.com, and in more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

M-1 Challenge 55 card getting stacked; Fioravanti vs. Kudukhashvili & Vitruk vs. Coga added

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Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show, Feb. 21 in Tbilisi, Georgia
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Jan. 21, 2015) – M-1 Global’s 2015 season-opening event, M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show, is gradually developing into an exciting, stacked event on February 21 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

 

The latest fights to be added to M-1 Challenge 55, dedicated to the memory of the first M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion, Guran Gugenishvili, is an intriguing middleweight clash between American invader Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti and Georgian favorite Nodar Kudukhashvili, along with undefeated featherweight prospect Pavel Vitruk taking on upset-minded Max Coga.

 

Last week, M-1 Global announced two heavyweight fights for M-1 Challenge 55: past M-1 Challenge title challenger Denis Smoldarev (9-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 SUB), of Estonia, vs. Croatian challenger Maro Perak (23-4-1, 12 KO/TKO, 7 SUB), as well as former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner (14-8-0, 7 KO/TKO, 3 SUB), of America, vs. Chechen prospect Aslambek “Titan” Musaev (5-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB).

 

M-1 Challenge 55 will be streamed live 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 of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

 

Fioravanti (25-12-0, 10 KO/TKO, 6 SUB), fighting out of Florida, is coming off of an impressive first-round stoppage (punches) of
Ruslan Khaskhanov this past December at
M-1 Challenge 54 & ACB 12. He recently signed a new promotional contract with M-1 Global.

 

The 33-year-old Italian-American joined the U.S. Marines after graduating from high school. He started training in kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in California and Iraq while active in the military. Fioravanti, who holds a second-degree black belt in Pancrase Pankration, has won three of his last four fights

 

Kudukhashvili (7-1-0, 2 KO/TKO, 3 SUB) is considered one of the strongest of a new generation of Georgian MMA fighters. In 2013, he won the WMMAA championships, defeating Russian champion Shamil Abdulaev in the final competition.

 

In eight professional MMA fights to date, Kudukhashvili has lost only once, by third-round decision to Jamaican-born Uriah “Prime Time” Hall, winner of the The Ultimate Fighter 17. Kudukhashvili will be making his M-1 Global debut against Fioravanti.

 

The 24-year-old Vitruk (12-0-0, 3 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) , fighting out of Ukraine, is a rising M-1 Challenge star with a perfect 5-0 record in M-1 Challenge competition dating back to 2013 at M-1 Challenge: Fedor vs. Rizzo. Considered one of the best featherweight prospects in the MMA world today, Vitruk was 2-0 last year, defeating a pair of Brazilians challengers, Rafael Miranda (KO/TKO1 – punches) at M-1 Challenge 53 and Clayton Santos (SUB1 – punches) at M-1 Challenge 46.

Training out of the famed Alexander Nevsky Club in St. Petersburg, Russia, Vitruk has his sights firmly set on M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan Buchinger, who is a Team MMA Spirit stablemate of Coga.

 

A lightweight champion at home in Germany, Coga will be in fighting in his second M-1 Challenge event having lost last May by first-round knockout (kick) to lightweight contenderMax Divnich at M-1 Challenge 47.

 

The loss to Divnich resulted in a Team Coga decision for him to drop down one weight division to featherweight. In his last action, Coga bounced back strong with an impressive victory in his featherweight debut this past November at Fair FC 2, stopping previously undefeated (5-0-0 pro, 4-0-0 amateur records) Gabriel Sobo in the third round.

 

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

 

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 55 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts

Denis Smoldarev vs. Maro Perak added to M-1 Challenge 55 card Feb 21 in Georgia

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Presents

M-1 CHALLENGE 55

Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015  *  Tbilisi, Georgia

 
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.

 

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you byM-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Jan. 15, 2015) – A potentially explosive heavyweight match between past M-1 Challenge title challenger Denis Smoldarev and veteran Maro “Man Machine” Perak has been added to M-1 Global’s 2015 season-opening event, February 21, at M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show in Tbilisi, Georgia.

 

Former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner (14-8-0, 7 KO/TKO) versus Chechen prospect Aslambek “Titan” Musaev (5-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) was announced earlier this week.

 

M-1 Challenge 55, honoring the memory of the first M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, will be streamed live 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 of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

 

The 24-year-old Smoldarev (9-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) and dangerous Perak (23-4-1, 12 KO/TKO, 7 SUB), ironically, are both coming off losses to reigning M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin “Tybur” Tybura (12-0-0, 3 KO/TKO, 7 SUB).

 

Smoldarev, fighting out of Estonia, was choked into a submission by Tybura in the opening round of their title fight last November at M-1 Challenge 53: Battle in the Celestial Empire in Beijing, China. Despite getting in a few early shots on Tybura, Smoldarev allowed the defending champion to fight on the ground, resulting in a rear naked choke that halted the action. 

The invaluable experience he gained in his last fight, though, should enable Smoldarev to grow as an overall MMA fighter, something he desperately will need fighting a battle-tested opponent such as Perak.

 

Perak, 32, is the lone fighter in M-1 Challenge competition to extend Tybura past the first round. The tough Croatian was stopped by Tybura’s punches in the third round of their fight this past April at M-1 Challenge 47: Battle in the Heart of the Continent in Orenburg, Russia. 

Perak also has revenge on his mind. Last year, Smoldarev defeated one of Perak’s students, Ante Delija, by second-round submission. The most impressive victory on the aggressive fighting Perak’s record, perhaps, is his stoppage of Bob Sapp in 2011.

 

All fights and fighters are subject to change. Additional fights will soon be announced.

 

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 55 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, on Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

 

Information

www.M-1Global.com

www.mixfight.ru

www.WMMAA.org 

www.M1Global.TV

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1Global

@VadimFinkelchteinM1

 

@M1GlobalNews

 

Facebook:

 

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244