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Sept. 28 – M-1 Challenge 97/TATFIGHT 7: Bogatov vs. Pereira in Kazan, Russia

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

M-1 Global veterans & ex-champions Talk about M-1 & UFC Moscow

September 14, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (September 14, 2018) – M-1 Global veterans and former champions recently expressed their thoughts and opinions about their M-1 experiences and tomorrow’s (Sept. 15) UFC Moscow card at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

Alexei Oleinik, M-1 Global veteran, vs. Mark Hunt in UFC Moscow main event:

“M-1 Global is a great Russian promotion and I really enjoyed the time when I fought there. Each fight for me was another step in my career. We did not choose opponents, had rated fights, and took part in the Grand-Prix.”

Alexander Volkov, former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion:

“One of the best moments that I had in M-1 Global was the victory for our team at M-1 Selection. At that time there were team competitions in M-1 Global and I miss that format. Another great moment was when I won the M-1 Challenge heavyweight title. Every important fight is very memorable.”

“My first M-1 Global fights were in M-1 Selection team competitions, which helped me as a young fighter to start my career, find my place in this sport and understand that I belong to MMA. At the time it was a great opportunity for young athletes to demonstrate their skills and show up on local TV stations, so M-1 Global was the first step in my professional career.”

“UFC has a huge impact on development of the Russian MMA market. The partnership between M-1 Global and UFC gives M-1 Global many advantages on the local market and makes it much more attractive for Russian fighters. All mixed martial artists have a dream to fight in the UFC and now the way is clear. As we’ve seen many times, top fighters and champions from M-1 Global compete on the highest level in the UFC.”

Ramazan Emeev, former M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, vs. Stefan Sekulic at UFC Moscow

“I feel some responsibility for this fight because I’m fighting at home. Many friends and fans will come to root for me and I don’t want to let them down. I want to put on a great show, win the fight, and make everyone who’s supporting me happy.

“Since I’m fighting at home, I don’t have to fly somewhere and acclimate. In my previous fights I had to fly across the ocean to compete. Now, it’s their turn, and everything will be by my rules.”

Rustam Khabilov M-1 Global veteran, vs. Kajan Johnson at UFC Moscow

“There’s a great responsibility fighting at home when the crowd is waiting for you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s M-1 Global or UFC. Crowds are the same. Many friends and fans will be worried, and they’ll come to root for me, so I owe this victory to them. I must win. That’s why I trained three times as hard for this fight. Now, I’m anticipating an opponent. Everything will be fine.”

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, one of best MMA coaches in the world and father of UFC and former M-1 Global fighter Kabib Nurmagomedov

“M-1 Global is the history of Russian MMA and it’s not a coincidence that many fighters who started their careers in M-1 Global are very successful in the MMA world. M-1 Global was a foundation for mixed martial arts in Russia, faced some challenges, learned from their mistakes and kept moving forward. Most Russian fighters who are now signed with the UFC came exactly from M-1 Global.”

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

Fighting in UFC dream come true for M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Artem Frolov

September 7, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

Sept. 15 at UFC Moscow vs. C.B. Dollaway

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (September 5, 2018) – Fighting in the UFC is a dream come true for undefeated M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Artem Frolov (11-0-0, M-1: 8-0-0), who will make his UFC debut September 15, fighting on the UFC Moscow card at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

Frolov recently agreed on short notice (2 weeks) to replace injured Omari Ashkedov against veteran American fighter C.B. “The Doberman” Dollaway (17-8-0).

Fighting at home in Russia, the 26-year-old Frolov won his M-1 Challenge title belt last October, when he took a unanimous decision from Caio Magalhaes at M-1 Challenge 84. This past June at M-1 Challenge 93, Frolov made his first and lone title defense to date against Joe Riggs, who suffered a knee injury that led to a doctor’s stoppage in the second round.

Yesterday, Frolov sat down for a one-on-one interview:

How long have you working on a deal to sign with UFC?

AF: “My manager has been working on signing me with the UFC for a while, but until the last few days, we had no solid agreement. A few days ago, they finally offered me a contract and asked to step in to replace an injured fighter at UFC Moscow.

“I thought it over and decided it was a great opportunity to join the UFC, which I did not want to miss. I would not say this contract was a surprise for me, people have been working on it, so I was ready.”

How does it feel to sign with UFC?

AF: “I’m excited to sign with the best promotion in the world, but I know that my debut fight won’t be easy, I’m stepping in on a short notice just two weeks before the show. I was going to defend my belt in M-1 Global in a couple months, so now I need to cut weight fast. The most difficult thing is not just to cut weight, but afterwards to recover well. In the UFC, IVs are banned and you have to be extremely careful with supplements you take to recover.”

What shape are you in for this fight considering only two-week’s notice?

AF: “I was preparing for a fight in M-1 Global, so I’m in good shape. We are going to work on my speed now but first, I have to cut weight. Once in my career I took a fight on a short notice, I had three weeks to prepare and I won that fight by TKO in the second round.”

What do you know about your opponent, C.B. Dollaway?

AF: “I’ve seen a couple of C.B. Dollaway’s UFC fights, but I have never considered him as my opponent, so did not pay too much attention to him. There are many good fighters in the UFC, so I can’t say that I know a lot about my opponent. We don’t have not enough time to concentrate on him, so we’ll concentrate on me.”

When do you feel you can challenge the top UFC fighters in your weight class?

AF: “I’m not going to demand huge fights with the top opponents in the UFC. I’ll take my time and be ready to fight any opponent they’ll give me. I need time to get used to new conditions, tune up my preparation, and put in order the whole system and then I will be ready for any challenges.

“Everything is in our hands; nothing is impossible. If someone wants something badly, sets a goal and works hard to achieve it, he or she will succeed. I’m just a regular guy who had a dream to fight in the UFC and I made it. Dream big, set goals and achieve them!”

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Aug. 25 – M-1 Challenge 96: Mikutsa vs. Ibragimov in Saint Petersburg, Russia

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

Khadis Ibragimov new M-1 Challenge Light Heavyweight Champion

August 28, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

M-1 CHALLENGE 96 OFFICIAL RESULTS & PICTURES

New M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Khadis Ibragimov was crowned

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (August 26, 2018) – Undefeated Khadis Ibragimov (7-0-0) defeated Dmitry Mikutsa in last night’s M-1 Challenge 96 main event to capture the vacant M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title, at M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

MMA fighters represented 10 different countries in this international event: Russia, United States, Ukraine, Brazil, France, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan and Georgia.

Ibragimov, fighting out of Russia, locked in a rear-naked choke to submit his Ukrainian opponent, Mikutsa (9-4-1), in the second round for the vacant M-1 Challenge light heavyweight crown.

In the co-featured event, Russian featherweight Viktor Kolesnik (15-3-1) finished off his American foe, Daniel “Agent Orange” Swain (18-9-1) in the opening round with damaging leg kicks.

Brazilian lightweight Michel “Sassariro” Silva (20-7-1) was too much for previously unbeaten Alexey “Phenomenal” Ilyenko (8-1-1), who succumbed to a vicious ground-and-pound attack.

Ukrainian featherweight Yuri Chobuka (10-1-0) took a unanimous decision from Steve Polifonte (13-6-0), of France.

Georgian flyweight Vazha Tsiptauri (6-1-0) handed Sanzhar Adilov (4-1-0), of Kazakhstan, his first loss as a professional by way of a unanimous decision.

On the undercard, Russian heavyweight Yuri Fedorov (2-0-0) ground-and-pounded his way to a third-round technical knockout of fellow countryman Sergey Goltsov (0-2-), Russian featherweight Akhmadkhan Bokov (4-3-0) edged pro-debuting Adam Borovec (0-1-0) via majority decision, and Russian featherweight Nikita Solonin (5-2-0) registered a unanimous decision victory against Rene Hackl (4-1-0), of Hungary).

Russian pro-debuting Vasily Kozlov (1-0-0), fighting at a 158 ½ catchweight, and Russian welterweight Boris Medvedev (3-0-0) were first-round, one-punch knockout winners, respectively, versus Jurand Lisieski (3-1-1), of Poland, and Ukrainian Dmitriy Tikhonyuk (0-1-0). Russian lightweight Artem Tarasov (3-1-0) used a barrage of punches to stop Filip Kovarik (3-1-0), of Poland, in round one.

Complete results and pictures below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT

VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Khadis Ibragimov (7-0-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia

WSUB2 (4:30 – rear naked choke)

Dmitry Mikutsa (9-4-1, M-1: 2-2-0), Ukraine

(Ibragimov won the M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title)

CO-FEATURE – FEATHERWEIGHTS

Viktor Kolesnik (15-3-1, M-1: 4-1-1), Russia

WTKO1 (4:21 – leg kicks)

Daniel Swain (18-9-1, M-1: 1-1-1), USA

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Michel Silva (20-7-1, M-1: 2-2-0), Brazil

WTKO1 (1:34 – ground-and-pound)

Alexey Ilyenko (8-1-1, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Yuri Chobuka (10-1-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Ukraine

WDEC3

Steve Polifonte (13-6-0, M-1: 0-1-0), France

FLYWEIGHTS

Vazha Tsiptauri (6-1-0, M-1: 4-0-0)

WDEC3

Sanzhar Adilov (4-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Kazakhstan

UNDERCARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Yuri Fedorov (2-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia

WTKO3 (1:11 – ground-and-pound)

Sergey Goltsov (0-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Rafal Kijanczuk (4-0-0 (M-1: 2-0-0), Poland

WTKO1 (5:00 – injury)

Ibragim Sagov (4-2-0, M-1: 3-2-0), Russia

CATCHWEIGHT (72, kg, 158 ½ lbs.)

Vasily Kozlov (1-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia

WKO1 (0:42 – punch)

Jurand Lisieski (3-1-1, M-1: 0-1-0), Poland

WELTERWEIGHTS

Dmitriy Tikhonyuk (1-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine

WKO1 (1:07 – punch)

Boris Medvedev (2-1-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Artem Tarasov (3-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia

WKO1 (1:57 – punches)

Filip Kovarik (3-1-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Poland

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Nikita Solonin (5-2-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia

WDEC3

Rene Hackl (4-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Hungary

Akhmadkhan Bokov (4-3-0, M-1: 4-1-0), Russia

WDEC3

Adam Borovec (0-1-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Czech Republic

Khadis Ibragimov (L) wore down Dmitry Mikutsa

Viktor Kolesnik (L) kicked his way past Daniel Swain

Michel Silva is shown finishing off Alexey Ilyenko

Yuri Chobuka (L) defeated Steve Polifonte

Vazha Tsiptauri (top position) decisioned Sanzhar Adilov

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

M-1 Challenge 96 OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & PICTURES

August 25, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAINT PERTERSBURG, Russia (August 24, 2018) — The official weigh in was held yesterday for today’s M-1 Challenge 96, headlined by the vacant M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title, at M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Complete weights and pictures below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – 5 X 5

VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

(L) Dmitry Mikutsa (9-3-1, M-1: 2-1-0), Ukraine 204 ½ lbs. (92,95 kg).

(R) Khadis Ibragimov (6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia 205 lbs. (93 kg)

CO-FEATURE – FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

(L) Daniel Swain (18-8-1, M-1: 1-0-1), USA 145 lbs. (65,8 kg)

(R) Viktor Kolesnik (14-3-1, M-1: 3-1-1), Russia 144 lbs. (65,35 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS — 3 X 5

(R) Alexey Ilyenko (8-0-1, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 154 lbs. (69,95 kg)

(L) Michel Silva (19-7-1, M-1: 1-2-0), Brazil 154 ½ lbs. (70,25 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Ruslan Rakhmonkulov (11-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 178 lbs. (81 kg)

Maksim Grabovich (8-4-0, M-1: 5-4-0), Russia 168 ½ lbs. (76,6 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

(L) Steve Polifonte (13-5-0, M-1: 0-0-0), France 145 lbs. (65,8 kg)

(R) Yuri Chobuka (9-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine 144 lbs. (65,6 kg)

UNDERCARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Yuri Fedorov (1-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 261 lbs. (118,4 kg)

Sergey Goltsov (0-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 227 lbs. (103,25 kg)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Rafal Kijanczuk (3-0-0 (M-1: 1-0-0), Poland 204 lbs. 92,8 kg)

Ibragim Sagov (4-1-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia 204 lbs. (92,7 kg)

CATCHWEIGHT (72, kg, 158 ½ lbs.) – 3 X 5

Jurand Lisieski (3-0-1, M-1: 0-0-0), Poland 158 lbs. (71,8 kg)

Vasily Kozlov (pro debut), Russia 158 lbs. (71,7 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Dmitriy Tikhonyuk (pro debut), Ukraine 169 ½ lbs. 77,1 kg)

Boris Medvedev (2-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 169 ½ lbs. (77,05 kg)

LIGHTWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Filip Kovarik (3-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Poland 154 lbs. (70,2 kg)

Artem Tarasov (2-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 154 ½ lbs. (70,25 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Rene Hackl (4-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Hungary 144 lbs. (65,5 kg)

Nikita Solonin (4-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia 144 lbs. (65,65 kg)

Adam Borovec (pro debut), Czech Republic 144 lbs. (65,35 kg)

Akhmadkhan Bokov (3-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia 144 lbs. (65,65 kg)

FLYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5

Sanzhar Adilov (4-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Kazakhstan 129 ½ lbs. (57,65 kg)

Vazha Tsiptauri (5-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0) 129 lbs. (58,5 kg)

(all fights & fighters subject to change)

WHEN: Saturday, August 25, 2018

WHERE: Saint Petersburg, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

LIVE STREAM: www.m1global.tv (11.00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT in USA). Also available onFITE.TV (preliminary card is free, $7.99 for the main card)

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Aug. 25 – M-1 Challenge 96: Mikutsa vs. Ibragimov in Saint Petersburg, Russia

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

“Road to M-1: USA” OFFICIAL RESULTS

August 16, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

Doug “Yamato” Usher stops

David Mundell in 2^nd round

Yoislandy Izquierdo landed the kick of the night

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 14, 2018) – Georgia middleweight Doug “Yamato” Usher and Yoislandy “Cuba” Izquierdo were knockout-winners this past Saturday night in the “Road to M-1: USA” main event and co-feature, respectively, at Global Mall in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Road to M-1: USA” was presented by M-1 Global USA and Angel Fight Promotions and aired live on worldwide pay per view.

“The Rage,” a hybrid ring/cage, made its American debut in Music City.

“What a great first event for M-1 Global USA,” M-1 Global USA CEO Mike Merriman said. “There were so many obstacles to overcome and lessons to be learned, but the show still went well. The fighters worked hard and the staff worked diligently. I couldn’t have asked for more. We are working on our next show and some possible partnerships that should make a lot of fans smile.”

Usher (10-3-0) overcame a relatively slow opening round to knockout his late replacement opponent, David “Redneck” Mundell (9-4-0), with a powerful right-left combination for his sixth consecutive victory, which snapped Mundell’s three-fight win streak.

Izquierdo (12-4-0), fighting out of Charlotte (NC) by way of Cuba, took care of business early, knocking out Damond Pickney (15-11-0), of Hot Springs, Arkansas, less than a minute into the opening round by way of a vicious head-kick.

Virginia bantamweight Tony Gravely (14-5-0) ruined the courageous comeback of previously undefeated Brazilian fighter Bruno Ferreira (8-1-0), who was making a comeback after successfully battling cancer the past three years. Gravely’s aggressive ground-and-pound attack resulted in a quick first-round technical knockout win.

Georgia flyweight Cee Jay “The Autobot” Hamilton (13-6-0) and California heavyweight Cody “The Moose” Goodale won three-round decisions, respectively, against Puerto Rican Abdiel “The Nightmare” Velazquez (8-6-0) and Nkemdirim “Kim” Oti (2-4-0)

Kentucky welterweight Brandon “The Juggernaut” Bell (9-7-0) registered a first-round, ground-and-pound TKO win over Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (9-3-0), of Arizona, while Chicago welterweight P.J. Cajigas used the same method to defeat previously unbeaten Tennessean James Conway (3-1-0) in round two.

On the preliminary card, Chicago bantamweight Chris “The Jungle” Johnson (5-8-0) knocked out Jerrod “The Hillbilly Hammer” Jennings (2-2-0) in the first round. Kentucky lightweight Kegan Agnew (1-0-0) made an impressive pro debut, locking in a rear naked choke to submit hometown favorite Dwayne Herrelle (0-2-0) in the opening round.

Complete results and photo gallery below:

OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAIN EVENT – MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Doug Usher (10-3-0), College Park, Maryland

WKO2

David Mundell (9-4-0), Orlando, Florida

CO-FEATURE – LIGHTWEIGHTS

Yoislandyu Izquierdo (12-4-0), Charlotte, North Carolina

WKO1

Dawond Pickney (15-11-0), Hot Springs, Arkansas

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Tony Gravely (14-5-0) Radford, Virginia

WTKO1

Bruno Ferreira (8-1-0) Sao Paulo, Brazil

FLYWEIGHTS

Cee Jay Hamilton (13-6-0), Hartwell, Georgia.

WDEC3

Abdiel Velazquez (8-6-0), New Port Richey, Florida

WELTERWEIGHTS

Brandon Bell (9-6-0), Harlan, Kentucky

WTKO1

Jacob McClintock (9-3-0), Tempe, Arizona

P.J. Cajigas (7-7-0), Chicago, Illinois

WTKO2

James Conway (3-1-0), Dickson, Tennessee

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Cody Goodale (6-4-0), Riverside, California.

WDEC3

Nkemdirim Oti (2-4-0), Decatur, Alabama

PRELIMINARY CARD

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Chris Johnson (5-8-0), Chicago, Illinois

WKO1

Jerrod Jennings (2-2-0), Mayfield, Kentucky

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Kegan Agnew (1-0-0), Fredonia, Kentucky

WSUB1 (rear naked choke)

Dwayne Herrelle (0-2-0) Nashville, Tennessee

Doug Usher used a powerful combination to KO David Mundell

Tony Gravely (on top) destroyed Bruno Ferreira’s comeback party

Heavyweight Cody Goodale (R) punched his way past Nkemdirm Oti

Brandon Bell (on top) finished off Jacob McClintock

P.J. Cajigas lines up Jacob Conway

Andiel Velazquez (L) & Cee Jay Hamilton put on a show for Nashville MMA fans

INFORMATION:

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

“The Rage” hits Music City “Road to M-1: USA” in Nashville

August 8, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

This Saturday LIVE on worldwide Pay Per View

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 18, 2018) – “The Rage,” a hybrid ring/cage, will make its American debut this Saturday night in the Music City, when the “Road to M-1: USA” professional mixed-martial-arts event is held at Global Mall in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Road to M-1″ USA”, presented by M-1 Global USA and Angel Fight Promotions, will air live on worldwide pay-per-view.starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Integrated Sports Media will distribute “Road to M-1: USA” in North America on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view via iN Demand, Vubiquity, DIRECTV and DISH in the United States, in addition to Rogers, SaskTel, and Shaw PPV in Canada, and live-streamed worldwide on the FITE.TV app and website (www.fite.tv), each way for a suggested retail price of only $19.95.

“The Rage, used by M-1 Global throughout Europe and Asia, measures 23-feet across and 24” inches from the floor to first rope, and then there are three additional ropes above that. Fans in attendance and watching on PPV will have optimum viewing of a ring and fighters the safety associated with a cage.

“Road to M-1: USA” is headlined by a middleweight fight between Florida veteran fighter David “Redneck” Mundell (9-3-0), who replaced injured Reggie “The Regulator” Pena, and against Georgia middleweight Doug “Yamato” Usher (9-3-0). Both fighters are hot, Usher riding a five-fight win streak, dating back 2 ½ years, and Mundell has won his last three fights.

In the co-featured event, veteran Arkansas fighter Dawond Pickney (15-10-0) faces his Cuban opponent, Yoislandy “Cuba” Izquierdo (11-4-0), who is fighting out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The feelgood story of the show is undefeated Brazilian MMA fighter Bruno Ferreira (8-0-0), who has successfully beaten testicular cancer, returning to fight after three long years, versus always tough Tony Gravely (12-5-0), of Virginia.

Other main-card fights include Georgia flyweight C.J. “The Autobot” Hamilton (12-6-0) vs. Floridian fighter Abdiel “The Nightmare” Velazquez (8-5-0), Kentucky welterweight Brandon “The Juggernaut” Bell (5-6-0) vs. Jacob “Tick-Tock” McLintock (9-2-0), of Arizona; and Tennessee welterweight James Conway (3-0-0) vs. P.J. Cajigas (5-7-0), of Chicago.

Undercard bouts include California heavyweight Cody “The Moose” Goodale (5-4-0) vs. Nkemdirim “Kim” Oti (2-3-0), of Alabama, New Brunswick, Canada bantamweight Chris Johnson (5-6-0) vs. Jerrod “The Hillbilly Hammer” Jennings (2-1-0), of Kentucky, and Nashville favorite Dwayne Herrelle (0-1-0) vs. pro-debuting Kentucky lightweight Kegan Agnew.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:

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

Dimitriy Mikutsa vs. Khadis Ibragimov M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title fight to headline M-1 Challenge 96

August 2, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

Daniel Swain vs. Viktor Kolesnik in co-feature

August 25 in Saint Petersburg, Russia

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (August 1, 2018) -The vacant M-1 Challenge light heavyweight title will be on the line August 25, when Dimitriy Mikutsa and Khadis Ibragimov throw-down in the M-1 Challenge 96 main event, in M-1 Arena, at Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Mikutsa (9-3-1, M-1: 2-1-0), one of the top fighters in Ukraine, is riding a four-fight win streak, including M-1 Global victories over Kleber Raimundo Silva last February at M-1 Challenge 87 and Dmitry Tebekin at M-1 Challenge 79, both by way of three-round unanimous decisions. A heavy-handed striker, Mikutsa has knocked out six of his nine victims to date.

One of the most promising prospects in years, undefeated Ibragimov (6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0) has earned his title shot, primarily by defeating former M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Stephan Puetz, using a bulldog choke to submit his German foe in the third round last February at M-1 Challenge 88. Ibragimov, who will be fighting at home in Saint Petersburg, won his last fight at M-1 Challenge 92, when Giga Kukhalalashvili was disqualified in the third round for rope grabbing.

A potentially explosive co-featured event has also been announced as American featherweight Daniel “Agent Orange” Swain (18-8-1, M-1: 1-0-1) takes on Viktor Kolesnik (14-3-1, M-1: 3-1-1), of Russia.

Fighting out of Newport, Washington, the entertaining Swain is coming off a sensational victory this past May at M-1 Challenge 91, when he used a kneebar to submit Musu Nuertiebieke in the opening round.

Kolesnik’s lone loss in his last 10 fights, dating back nearly four years, was by split decision at M-1 Challenge 85 to Nate Landwehr, who is now the newly crowned M-1 Challenge featherweight champion.

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

INFORMATION:

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Upcoming M-1 Challenge Events:

Aug. 11 – “Road to M-1: USA” in Nashvillee, Tennessee, USA

Aug. 25 – M-1 Challenge 96: Mikutsa vs. Ibragimov in Saint Petersburg, Russia

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

David Mundall new main event opponent for Doug Usher at “Road to M-1: USA”

August 1, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

Aug. 11^th worldwide Pay Per View from Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 31, 2018) – Florida veteran MMA fighter David “Redneck” Mundell has replaced injured Reggie “The Regulator” Pena in the main event against Georgia middleweight Doug “Yamato” Usher, August 11 at “Road to M-1″ USA”, presented by M-1 Global USA and Angel Fight Promotions, to air live on worldwide pay-per-view from Global Mall in Nashville, Tennessee.

Integrated Sports Media will distribute “Road to M-1: USA” in North America on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view via iN Demand, Vubiquity, DIRECTV and DISH in the United States, as well as Rogers, SaskTel, and Shaw PPV in Canada, and live-streamed worldwide on the FITE.TV app and website (www.fite.tv), starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, for a suggested retail price of only $19.95.

Usher (9-3-0), fighting out of Georgia, is riding a five-fight win streak, dating back 2 ½ years, while Mundell (9-3-0) has been victorious in his last three fights.

Veteran Arkansas fighter Dawond Pickney (15-10-0) has replaced Russian lightweight Vadim Ogar (6-3-0) in the co-featured event versus Yoislandy “Cuba” Izquierdo (11-4-0).

Undefeated Brazilian MMA fighter Bruno Ferreira (8-0-0), who has successfully beaten cancer, returns to action for the first time in three years against dangerous Tony Gravely(12-5-0), of Virginia, at “Road to M-1: USA”.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

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

UFC & M-1 Global announce partnership UFC RUSSIA

July 20, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (July 18) – The Russian-Chinese investment fund, Mubadala Investment Company, and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have jointly announced the foundation of UFC Russia. The new company will promote MMA and organize new shows in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). M-1 Global is going to be a partner, responsible for scouting and signing Russian athletes to prepare them to fight in the UFC. M-1 Challenge champions will have a unique opportunity to sign contracts with the UFC.

“We are looking forward to further cooperation with the UFC and the Russian-Chinese investment fund working on developing young Russian talents,” M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein said. “This partnership will benefit our sport very much. MMA is a very popular sport and cooperation of the UFC, investment fund and M-1 Global can take MMA in Russia to a new level. Competition in M-1 Global is going to be even tougher and that means we are going to see even more excellent and spectacular fights!”

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