Vitaly Minakov facts for kids
In this article, the patronymic is Viktorovich and the family name is Minakov.
Quick facts for kids Vitaly MinakovВиталий Минаков |
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| Born | Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov February 6, 1985 Bryansk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Russian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Sambo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Bryansk, Russia |
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| Team | Eagles MMA Fight Nights Team |
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| Rank | 1st Razryad Grand Master in Sambo Black belt in Judo Master of Sports in Freestyle Wrestling |
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| Years active | 2010–2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov (born February 6, 1985) is a famous Russian athlete. He is known for his skills in mixed martial arts (MMA), Sambo, and Judo. He competed as a heavyweight fighter from 2010 to 2021. Vitaly was even a world champion in Bellator MMA, a big fighting organization. He also fought in M-1 Global and Fight Nights Global.
Contents
Vitaly Minakov's Fighting Journey
Vitaly Minakov started his professional MMA career in November 2010. Before that, he was already a four-time Sambo World Champion from 2008 to 2011.
Early MMA Fights
Vitaly quickly showed his strength in his early fights.
- On June 7, 2012, he fought Eddie Sanchez at Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 7. Vitaly won by knockout (KO) in the first round.
- Later that year, on September 17, 2012, he faced Fabiano Scherner at Fight Nights - Battle of Desne. Vitaly won again by KO in the first round.
Becoming a Bellator Champion
In June 2012, Vitaly Minakov joined Bellator MMA, a major mixed martial arts promotion.
- He made his first appearance at Bellator 79 on November 2, 2012. He defeated Vladimir Starcencov by technical knockout (TKO) in the second round. This was a great start to his Bellator career.
- Vitaly then entered the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament. He faced Ron Sparks in the semifinal on June 19, 2013, at Bellator 96. Vitaly won in the first round by TKO.
- In the finals, at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013, he fought Ryan Martinez. Vitaly won by TKO in the third round after taking Martinez to the ground.
- His biggest win came on November 15, 2013, at Bellator 108. Vitaly defeated Alexander Volkov to become the Bellator Heavyweight World Champion.
- Vitaly defended his title against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on April 4, 2014. He won by unanimous decision, keeping his championship belt.
- However, on May 14, 2016, Vitaly was no longer the Bellator champion. This happened because he had not fought in Bellator for a long time.
Fighting in Russia
After leaving Bellator, Vitaly Minakov returned to fight in his home country, Russia. He competed in the Fight Nights Global promotion. He had seven fights there starting in July 2015, and he won all of them.
Return to Bellator MMA
Vitaly Minakov signed a new contract with Bellator on August 23, 2018.
- He had a rematch with Cheick Kongo at Bellator 216 on February 16, 2019. This time, Vitaly lost the fight by unanimous decision. It was his first professional loss in MMA.
- On August 24, 2019, at Bellator 225, Vitaly was supposed to fight Javy Ayala. But Ayala had to pull out. Vitaly then fought Tim Johnson instead. Vitaly won this fight by knockout in the first round.
- Vitaly's last fight was on October 23, 2021, at Bellator 269. He fought Said Sowma and lost the fight because of a broken finger.
Vitaly Minakov's Achievements
Vitaly Minakov has achieved many great things in his martial arts career.
MMA Achievements
- Bellator MMA
- Bellator Heavyweight World Champion (one time)
- Successfully defended his title once.
- Won the Bellator 2013 Summer Series Heavyweight Tournament.
- He is tied for the most knockout wins in the Bellator Heavyweight division (five).
- Fight Nights Global
- He was undefeated in Fight Nights with a record of 9 wins and 0 losses.
- Global-MMA
- Named Global-MMA Fighter of the Year in 2013.
Sambo Achievements
- Fédération Internationale de Sambo (FIAS)
- Sambo World Champion (four times)
- Russian National Champion (four times)
- Russian Presidential Cup Sambo Champion (three times: 2008, 2009, 2010)
Judo Achievements
- Russian Judo Federation
- 2006 Russian U23 Championships: 1st place
- 2005 Russian U23 Championships: 3rd place
- 2004 Russian U20 Championships: 2nd place
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 22 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 1 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 22–2 | Said Sowma | TKO (finger injury) | Bellator 269 | October 23, 2021 | 3 | 3:08 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 22–1 | Timothy Johnson | KO (punches) | Bellator 225 | August 24, 2019 | 1 | 1:45 | Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 21–1 | Cheick Kongo | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 216 | February 16, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 21–0 | Tony Johnson | TKO (punches) | Fight Nights Global 82: Minakov vs. Johnson | December 16, 2017 | 2 | 0:38 | Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 20–0 | Antônio Silva | KO (punches) | Fight Nights Global 68: Pavlovich vs. Mokhnatkin | June 2, 2017 | 2 | 1:37 | St. Petersburg, Leningrad oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 19–0 | DJ Linderman | KO (punches) | Fight Nights Global 59: Minakov vs. Linderman | February 23, 2017 | 3 | 3:09 | Khimki, Moscow Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 18–0 | Peter Graham | Submission (armbar) | Fight Nights Global 50: Fedor vs. Maldonado | June 17, 2016 | 1 | 1:01 | St. Petersburg, Leningrad oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 17–0 | Josh Copeland | Submission (kimura) | Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 20 | December 11, 2015 | 2 | 2:50 | Moscow, Moscow oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 16–0 | Geronimo dos Santos | Submission (armbar) | Fight Nights Global: Dagestan | September 25, 2015 | 1 | 3:14 | Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 15–0 | Adam Maciejewski | TKO (punches) | Fight Nights Global: Sochi | July 31, 2015 | 1 | 0:20 | Sochi, Krasnodar krai, Russia | |
| Win | 14–0 | Cheick Kongo | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 115 | April 4, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Defended the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship. Later stripped of the championship following a contract dispute. |
| Win | 13–0 | Alexander Volkov | TKO (punches) | Bellator 108 | November 15, 2013 | 1 | 2:57 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship. |
| Win | 12–0 | Ryan Martinez | TKO (punches) | Bellator 97 | July 31, 2013 | 3 | 4:02 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Ron Sparks | KO (punches) | Bellator 96 | June 19, 2013 | 1 | 0:32 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Vladimir Starcencov | TKO (punches) | Bellator 79 | November 2, 2012 | 2 | 0:27 | Rama, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 9–0 | Fabiano Scherner | TKO (punches) | Fight Nights: Battle of Desne | September 17, 2012 | 1 | 3:51 | Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 8–0 | Eddie Sanchez | KO (punch) | Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 7 | June 7, 2012 | 1 | 1:59 | Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 7–0 | Karol Celinski | TKO (corner stoppage) | Faxe Forward Challenge 2: Russia vs. Latvia | April 14, 2012 | 1 | 0:55 | Riga, Vidzeme, Latvia | |
| Win | 6–0 | Ivan Frolov | Submission (guillotine choke) | AntMMA: Ultimate Fighting of Bryansk | June 29, 2011 | 1 | 0:45 | Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 5–0 | Juan Espino | TKO (punches) | League S-70: Sambo 70 vs. Spain | April 21, 2011 | 1 | 0:09 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 4–0 | Valery Scherbakov | Submission (armbar) | M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky | December 10, 2010 | 1 | 1:05 | Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 3–0 | Vitalii Yalovenko | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Finals | July 22, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Alexander Zubachov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Sambo-70/M-1 Global: Sochi Open European Championships | July 14, 2010 | 1 | 0:27 | Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Ruslan Kabdulin | Submission (armbar) | M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Round 2 | April 10, 2010 | 1 | 4:19 | Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine |
More About Vitaly Minakov
- List of Bellator MMA alumni
- List of male mixed martial artists
See also
In Spanish: Vitali Minakov para niños
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