Introduction to European MMA: Russia

Date submitted: 10 January 2007

Submitted by: Dino Fuoco

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In Russia sport is ingrained in the culture and history of it’s people who have been at war for centuries, whether that be in other countries or defending their own borders.

In Russia MMA has evolved a lot since the early 90’s when there were many “Old Rules” Vale Tudo fights arranged in Russian Arenas.

Today, it’s very difficult to talk about Russian MMA without mentioning perhaps the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.

Fedor, together with guys like Wanderlei Silva and Kazushi Sakuraba have contributed to making Pride Fighting Championships what it is.

Fedor Emelianenko has successfully dominated great strikers like Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Mark Hunt as well as world class grapplers such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He has also Ground n Pounded wrestlers like Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman.

What is his winning formula? He comes from a Sambo background, so he has effective throws and take-downs, he has a devastating ground game and has been described by former K-1 champion Mark Hunt as the best striker in MMA. So he has the physical tools to dominate from any range but what truly sets him apart is his psychological edge. He is icy calm and even looks invincible when he is in serious trouble.

Fedor is a member of The Red Devils Fight Team based in St Petersberg.

The Red Devils Fight Team is the premier fight team in Russia and has fighters such as Fedor’s younger brother Aleksander Emelianenko who is not as talented as Fedor but has Pride wins under his belt. His greatest victories are over Carlos Barreto, Pawel Nastula and Sergei Kharitonov.

Another Red Devil fighter is Roman Zentsov, who has terrific Boxing skills. These skills were tested by Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel who both got knocked out.

Also in the Red Devil team are Andrei Semenov and Amar Suloev, who are both highly talented individuals and come in and out of Pride.

The Russian Top Team is the second biggest team in Russia. Their top man is Sergei Kharitonov, a very strong puncher noted for his exciting fights and bravery. Kharitonov was able to KO Murilo "Ninja" Rua at Pride: Total Elimination 2004, Semmy Schilt at Pride: Critical Countdown 2004 and Pedro Rizzo at Pride: Critical Countdown 2005.

The main event in Russia is M-1, one of the biggest in Europe. M-1 always invite top international talent and match them against the top Russian fighters.

The World Absolute Fighting Championship was another big show but finished a few years ago. However there are many smaller shows run every week in Russia (especially in Novosibirsk area, in Siberia). These provide a platform for the many high calibre fighters in Russia, who are always ready to fight and show their skills.

The one thing holding many Russian fighters back is the need for better training in better equipped gyms. But these fighters make up for this in character, heart and fighting spirit.