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

M-1 CHALLENGE 75 OFFICIAL WEIGHTS

March 3, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

(L) ALEXANDER SHLEMENKO (54-9-0, 1 NC, M-1: 4-0-0), Russia 184 1/2 lbs. (83.9 kg)

vs.

(R) PAUL BRADLEY (23-7-0, 2 NC, M-1: 0-0-0), USA 184 lbs. (83.6 kg)

M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5

(L) ALEXEY KUNCHENKO (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), Champion, Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (77 kg)

vs.

(R) MAKSIM GRABOVICH (5-2-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Challenger, Russia 164 1/2 lbs. (74.8 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

SERGEY ROMANOV (10-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (77 kg)

MAGOMED SULTANAKHMEDOV (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0), Russia 169 1/2 lbs. (77.1 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS — 3 X 5

MAXIM DIVNICH (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0), Russia 154 lbs. (70.1 kg)

vs.

KEON CALDWELL (11-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), USA 154 lbs. (70.1 kg)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

BORIS POLEZHAY (15-5-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine 204 1/2 lbs. (92.9 kg)

vs.

CARLOS EDUARDO (14-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 205 lbs. (93 kg)

PRELIMINARY CARD

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

VALERY MYASINIKOV (10-1-2, M-1: 1-2-2), Russia. 187 lbs. (84.9 kg)

vs.

AMILCAR ALVES (15-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Brazil 187 lbs. (84.9 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

NIKO SAMSONIDSE (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Germany 154 lbs. (70 kg)

vs.

ABUBAKAR MESTOEV (3-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia 154 1/2 lbs. (70.2 kg)

ARDA “Boma Ye” ADAS (8-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Germany 176 lbs. (80.0 kg)

vs.

DANILA PRIKAZA (5-1-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia 173 1/2 lbs. (78.9 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

ALEKSEY SOTNIKOV (4-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Ukraine 149 lbs. (67.8 kg)

vs.

ROMAN BOGATOV (0-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 149 lbs. (67.9 kg)

BOK KIL YOUNG (8-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), South Korea 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)

vs.

VIKTOR KOLESNIK (9-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)

MOHAMED GRABINSKI (14-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Germany 158 lbs. (71.9 kg)

Vs.

RAUL TUTARAULI (7-4-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Georgia 158 1/2 lbs. (72.0 kg)

WHEN: Friday, March 3, 2017

WHERE: Moscow, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

LIVE STREAM: www.m1global.tv (12.00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT in USA)

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia

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

American middleweight Paul Bradley Steps up to challenge “Storm” Alexander Shlemenko in main event

January 29, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

M-1 Challenge 75, March 3, in Moscow, Russia

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 27, 2017) – American MMA veteran Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley has stepped up to meet the awesome challenge presented by 2016 M-1 Grand Prix middleweight champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko in the March 3^rd M-1 Challenge 75 main event in Moscow.

M-1 Challenge 75 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 the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

A three-time Bellator champion, Shlemenko (54-9-0. 1 NC, M-1: 4-0-0) defeated former M-1 Challenge champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky last year in the M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Championship semifinals and championship final, respectively, by three-round majority decision and third-round submission (choke). Shlemenko vs. Vasilevsky I & II were also the M-1 Challenge 68 & 64 Fights of the Night.

Former Ring of Combat champion Bradley (23-7-0, M-1: 0-0-0) will be making his M-1 Challenge debut, however, he’s a seasoned MMA veteran having fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and World Series of Fighting.

The 33-year-old Bradley, fighting out of San Diego (California), was a standout wrestler at the powerhouse University of Iowa. He is known for his physical strength, tremendous endurance, and balanced stand-up and ground skills.

Undefeated M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Alexey Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), of Russia, will defend his title in the co-feature against Maksin Grabovich (5-2-0, M-1: 4-0-0), of Russia, who replaced injured Kazakh challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0).

Russian welterweight prospect Sergey “Streetfighter” Romanov (10-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) meets Russian veteran Magomed “The White Wolf” Sultanakhmedov (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0), while another American fighter, lightweight Keon “The Black Assassin” Caldwell (11-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), will make his M-1 Global debut against former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divnich (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0), of Ukraine.

Rounding out a loaded M-1 Challenge 75 main card is a middleweight clash between Russian favorite Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasinikov (10-1-2, M-1: 1-1-2) and Spaniard Enoc Solves Torres (19-9-1, M-1: 5-6-1).

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 74 – Feb. 18, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia

M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia

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

“Storm” Warning! Alexander Shlemenko to headline M-1 Challenge 75

January 21, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

American lightweight

Keon Caldwell added to loaded card

March 3 in Moscow, Russia

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 19, 2017) – M-1 Global has announced that 2016 M-1 Grand Prix middleweight champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko will headline M-1 Challenge 75 in Moscow.

It has also been announced that American lightweight Keon “The Black Assassin” Caldwell will make his M-1 Global debut versus former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divnich.

Shlemenko (54-9-0. 1 NC, M-1: 4-0-0), a three-time Bellator champion, defeated former M-1 Challenge champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (see picture above with Shlemenko on right) last year in the M-1 Grand Prix Middleweight Championship semifinals and championship final, respectively, by three-round majority decision and third-round submission (choke). Shlemenko vs. Vasilevsky I & II were the M-1 Challenge 68 & 64 Fights of the Night.

In a much-anticipated All-Russian middleweight showdown, Shlemenko was supposed to fight reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev, who was unfortunately injured during training camp, forcing him out of that match. Vasilevsky replaced Emeev against Shlemenko in the championship final.

In his last action, Shlemenko stopped Kendall Grove in the second round of their main event fight on Bellator 162 last October in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Alexander Shlemenko fighting in Russia is always a significant event,” M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein said, “as he is a true legend of Russian MMA. His fights always sellout arenas, no matter who his opponent. We all know that the story we started last year at M<-1 Grand Prix 2016 isn’t over, yet. The whole country is waiting for the fight between Russia’s two best middleweights – Alexander Shlemenko and Ramazan Emeev.

“Ramazan was injured and Shlemenko had contractual obligations with Bellator. So, throughout the past month, we were waiting for Shlemenko to receive permission to fight in Russia. Now, we have arranged for him to fight on M-1 Challenge 75. We’ve done a great job to make this possible and now hope that, this time, we will be able to complete this exciting story.”

Undefeated M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Alexey Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), of Russia, will defend his title against an opponent to be announced, due to originally announced Kazakh challenger, unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0), withdrawing due to a knee injury.

Russian welterweight prospect Sergey “Streetfighter” Romanov (10-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) faces Russian veteran Magomed “The White Wolf” Sultanakhmedov (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0) on the M-1 Challenge 75 card.

Caldwell (11-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), fighting out of Georgia, is the US-based Island Fights champion. A powerful puncher who has nine knockouts in his 11 pro victories, Caldwell was supposed to compete in the 13^th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but he withdrew due to personal reasons. He has had several fights in World Series of Fighting.

A Ukrainian fighting out of Moscow, Divnich captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title in 2014 at M-1 Challenge 54, stopping Dzhambulat Kurbanov in the third round on punches in the Fight of the Night. In 2015, Divnich lost his first title defense by third-round knockout to Mansour Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 57. In his last fight, Artiom Damkovsky knocked out Divnich with a kick in the second-round of their fight this past September at M-1 Challenge 70.

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 74 – Feb. 18, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia

M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia

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

Sergey Romanov preparing to ruin Magomed Sultanakhmedov’s comeback party

January 6, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

M-1 Challenge 75, March 3 in Moscow, Russia

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 5, 2017) – Hot welterweight prospect Sergey “Streetfighter” Romanov is training hard to ruin the comeback of Russian veteran Magomed “The White Wolf” Sultanakhmedov in an interesting match-up March 3 at M-1 Challenge 75 in Russia.

The M-1 Challenge 75 main event, featuring a battle of undefeated welterweights between defending champion Alexey Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), of Russia, takes on Kazakhstan challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0),was previously announced.

Due to a series of injuries, Sulktanakhmedov (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0) has been inactive for the past five years, since he knocked out Tyson Jeffries in the second round of their 2011 fight at M-1 Challenge 24.

A former M-1 Selection champion, Sultanakhmedov is dropping down one weight class from middleweight to fight Romanov. During his MMA career, feared striker Sultanakhmedov has knocked out the likes of Dmitri Samoilov, Victor Nemkov, Pavel Kusch and Pliinio Cruz, among the more notables.

His tremendous flair and style makes him a fan favorite, especially his “one-shoot, one-kill” attack. The 32-year-old has fought outside of his native Russia, in the United States and Japan, and during his fighting hiatus he served as referee.

Although he isn’t looking past Sultanakhmedov, fellow Russian fighter Romanov hopes that an impressive victory over Sultankhmedov will position him for his first M-1 Challenge title shot against the Kunchenkp-Rakhmonov winner.

Romanov has had impressive victories in M-1 Challenge competition, including a decision over against Brazilian foe Carlos Pereira last October at M-1 Challenge 71, as well as a first-round stoppage via punches of Andreas Birgels this past June at M-1 Challenge 68.

“I’ve been working on my strength,” Romanov said from his training camp, “because the champion in my weight class, Alexey Kunchenko, is physically strong. I need to catch up. Not that I’m looking forward to a title fight, but I always have grandiose plans, so, we’ll see how that goes. Right now, I’m focused on Sultanakhmedov, and I think my fight with him would be no harder than a possible fight with Kunchenko.

“I started training camp with two workouts a day, but I felt sick and decided to cutback to only one workout a day until I soon return to full mode. I’ve been training at home (St. Petersburg) but will soon go to Ryazan to wrestling training camp. Then, I will go back to St. Petersburg to prepare at camp, and go to Borovaya for boxing. My opponent is left-handed, so I need appropriate sparring partners, but the guys in my camp are a great help.

“I know my opponent well having watched his fights as a youngster when he was champion. Now, we need to reevaluate him. He was a good fighter who trains at ‘Gorets’ where there is, in principle, guys there who are top level. It’s difficult to say what form he has now because he hasn’t fought in so long. Now, he is at the peak age for a fighter, 32, so we’ll see. I don’t think I’ll be favored in this fight, but I will go forward despite being the underdog.”

Romanov (R) is a solid all-around MMA fighter

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