Current season, competition or edition: 2022 in AMC Fight Nights | |
Sport | Mixed martial arts |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
Founder | Kamil Gadzhiev, Amir Muradov |
Owner(s) | Amir Muradov |
Country | Russia |
Headquarters | Moscow |
Official website | http://www.fightnights.ru |
AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world [1] and features some of the top-ranking fighters of the sport.
Fight Nights Global produces events worldwide, with the first one being held in 2010 in Moscow. As of 2018, Fight Nights Global has held over 80 events in different cities: Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Rostov-On-Don, Perm, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Sochi, Bryansk, Kostroma, Nizhnevartovsk, Kaspiysk, Astana, Elista, Grozny, Dushanbe, Minsk and more.
In different years the company's shows featured Fedor Emelianenko, Batu Khasikov, Vitaly Minakov, Rasul Mirzaev, Ali Bagautinov, Vladimir Mineev, Andrei Arlovski, Alexander Shlemenko, Shamil Zavurov, Murad Machaev, Gasan Umalatov, Antônio Silva, Viktor Pešta, Fábio Maldonado and many other mixed martial artists.
The company was founded in 2010 by a Russian athlete, businessman and sports ambassador Kamil Gadzhiev, together with a multiple time world kickboxing champion Batu Khasikov, a television producer Sangadji Tarbaev, the "SHANDESIGN" studio head Sergei Shanovich and the Goldman Sachs Russia CEO Sergey Arsenyev. At that time the company was called FIGHT NIGHTS and later rebranded as Eurasia Fight Nights (EFN).[ citation needed ]
Initially, Fight Nights Global (at that time called FIGHT NIGHTS) fights were held in a ring under MMA and K-1 rules. The first event featured Lightweight Grand Prix, which was won by Murad Machaev. In the main event Batu Khasikov knocked out Ricardo Fernandes. Rasul Mirzaev defeated Marat Pekov via judges decision and became the first FIGHT NIGHTS champion in the Featherweight category.
The first high-profile event happened in November 2011 in Moscow and featured the Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis facing Batu Khasikov. Batu won by TKO in the first round and broke his opponent's jaw.
In 2012, the company held seven major events with the final one being "FIGHT NIGHTS: Battle of Moscow 9" on December 16. The show featured the debut of the UFC ex-champion Andrei Arlovski. The Belarusian fighter defeated Mike Hayes from the United States via a unanimous decision.
Vitaly Minakov, Fight Nights Global promotion's household name, signed a contract with Bellator MMA in 2012.
In 2013, Vitaly won the Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix tournament and then won the Bellator MMA belt by knocking out Alexander Volkov in the first round. In April 2013, Vitaly became the first FIGHT NIGHTS fighter to make his way to the UFC. The next one was Ali Bagautinov who competed in the Flyweight division and signed a contract with the UFC after a victory over the experienced Japanese mixed martial artist Seiji Ozuka.
In June 2013 the company started using an octagonal cage that is popular in the MMA industry. In November 2013, the company hosted the first event outside of Russia, “FIGHT NIGHTS: Battle on the Nyamiha" at Minsk-Arena, Belarus. The main attraction of the night was the home performance by Andrei Arlovski.
Batu Khasikov had his last professional fight in March 2014 at “Fight Nights: Battle Of Moscow 15” where he again fought Mike Zambidis. The fight went all five rounds, Khasikov was the victor. Vladimir Mineev debuted in MMA at “Fight Nights: Battle Of Moscow 17”. The final tournament of 2014 featured Alexander Shlemenko vs. Yasubey Enomoto.
In 2015 the company hosted four major shows (Fight Nights: Battle Of Moscow 19, Fight Nights: Sochi, Fight Nights: Dagestan, Fight Nights: Petersburg) and eighteen selection tournaments “Fight club FIGHT NIGHTS".
Vitaly Minakov used his interim in Bellator MMA to return to the Fight Nights Global promotion. From July 2015 to June 2016 the four-time Sambo world champion fought in 4 matches, winning early victories over Adam Maciejewski (Poland), Geronimo dos Santos (Brazil), Josh Copeland (USA) and Peter Graham (Australia).
In 2016 the company was bought by Summa Group, a conglomerate that invested in port logistics, engineering, construction, telecommunications, sports, oil and gas that was founded by Dagestani billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov. [2] Kamil Gadzhiev, who is also the Vice-President of Moscow MMA Federation, became the president of the newly established Fight Nights Global. Backed by substantial investments of Summa Group, 2016 was the year of a massive breakthrough for FNG on the Russian market.
Fight Nights Global 50 (June 17, 2016) in Saint Petersburg featured a fight card headlined by Fedor Emelianenko. 4 years after retirement, "The Last Emperor" decided to come back to professional sports in the Fight Nights Global cage versus one of the most uncompromising strikers of the UFC, Fabio Maldonado. The tough match ended with a split decision win for the Russian athlete. The event was broadcast worldwide via UFC Fight Pass.
In 2017 Fight Nights Global determined champions in all eight weight categories among men and inked plenty of international talent to the roster including Rousimar Palhares, Josh Hill, Tyson Nam and the returning Ali Bagautinov to multi-fight contracts. [3]
The company hosted 25 events, discovering new cities and countries, including Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, Dushanbe in Tajikistan, Omsk, Penza, Tolyatti, Surgut, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Bryansk and Ulan-Ude in Russia.
Fight Night Global president Kamil Gadzhiev announced that the promotion will introduce the Anti-Doping Control System. [4]
Fight Nights Global 68, which took place during the International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, showcased Vitaly Minakov vs. Antonio Silva. [5] Later, Novosibirsk hosted Fight Nights Global 69, where Ali Bagautinov defeated Pedro Nobre. [6] In September, the notorious Fight Nights Global 73 took place. It featured the Russian-Brazilian confrontations Shamil Amirov vs. Rousimar Palhares, Kurban Omarov vs. Fabio Maldonado and Akhmed Aliev vs. Diego Brandao in the main event, which ended with a scandal. [7]
Other events of the year were Fight Nights Global 77, where newly-signed Nikita Krylov KO’ed Emanuel Newton [8] and Fight Nights Global 82, where the undefeated heavyweight Vitaly Minakov TKO’ed the top fighter from the USA, Tony Johnson.
In 2018 the company announced more international shows, including events in Brazil, USA and EU.
In 2020 November Fight Nights Global owner Kamil Gadzhiev sold his promotion to AMC Company owner Amir Muradov. After that they renamed the promotion to AMC Fight Nights Global. [9] [10]
Fight Nights Global rules are based on the Russian MMA regulations. Elbow strikes on the ground are legal. Referees have the right to raise fighters in a stand up in the absence of activity. If the fight is a draw, additional rounds are not assigned. A typical event lasts five hours and features 11 bouts. Bouts last 3 rounds 5 minutes each and champion bouts or main event bouts are 5 rounds 5 minutes each. The championship features 8 male and 2 female weight categories: 57 kg, 61 kg, 66 kg, 70 kg, 77 kg, 84 kg, 93 kg and over 93 kg.[ citation needed ]
AMC Fight Nights | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Event | Date | Venue | Location | |||
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | Vacant | ||
Light Heavyweight | Vagab Vagabov | October 16, 2021 | 1 |
Middleweight | Vladimir Mineev | September 9, 2020 | 1 |
Welterweight | Dmitry Bikrev | April 6, 2019 | 4 |
Lightweight | Alexander Sarnavskiy | February 23, 2024 | 0 |
Featherweight | Vacant | ||
Bantamweight | Sabit Zhusupov | October 14, 2022 | 1 |
Flyweight | Vacant | ||
over 93 kg (over 205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ponomarev vacated the title when he signed for ACA. [11] | ||||
3 | Grigoriy Ponomarev | AMC Fight Nights 115 Sochi, Russia | October 14, 2022 | 1. def. Yusup Shuaev at AMC Fight Nights 119 on March 18, 2023 |
2 | Yusup Shuaev def. Grigoriy Ponomarev | AMC Fight Nights 110 Astrakhan, Russia | March 25, 2022 | |
Sergei Pavlovich vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
1 | Sergei Pavlovich def. Mikhail Mokhnatkin | FNG 68 Saint Petersburg, Russia | June 2, 2017 | 1. def. Kirill Sidelnikov at FNG 79 on November 19, 2017 |
93 kg (205 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Vagab Vagabov | AMC Fight Nights 105 Sochi, Russia | October 16, 2021 | 1. def. David Barkhudaryan at AMC Fight Nights 113 on July 15, 2022 |
4 | Hasan Yousefi | AMC Fight Nights 102 Krasnoyarsk, Russia | June 18, 2021 | |
3 | Armen Petrosyan def. Artur Aliskerov | MMA Festival Rostov-on-Don, Russia | August 28, 2020 | 1. def. Dmitry Minakov at FNG Steel Heart XI on January 22, 2021 |
Nikita Krylov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
2 | Nikita Krylov | FNG 87 Rostov-on-Don, Russia | May 19, 2018 | |
1 | Fábio Maldonado def. Kurban Omarov | FNG 73 Kaspiysk, Russia | September 4, 2017 |
84 kg (185 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Interim | Dmitriy Aryshev def. Irwing Machado [12] | AMC Fight Nights 122 Moscow, Russia | November 10, 2023 | |
Current | Vladimir Mineev def. Dauren Ermekov | FNG / GFC Moscow, Russia | September 9, 2020 | 1. def. Magomed Ismailov at AMC Fight Nights 105 on October 16, 2021 |
Roman Kopylov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
2 | Roman Kopylov | FNG 85 Moscow, Russia | March 30, 2018 | 1. def. Yasubey Enomoto at FNG 91 on Dec 27, 2018 |
1 | Abusupyan Alikhanov def. Khalid Murtazaliev | FNG 66 Kaspiysk, Russia | May 21, 2017 |
77 kg (170 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Dmitry Bikrev def. Maxim Butorin | FNG 92 Moscow, Russia | April 6, 2019 | 1. NC vs. Shamil Amirov at FNG 98 on September 25, 2020 2. def. Goity Dazaev at FNG 100 on April 10, 2021 3. def. Ruslan Kolodko at AMC Fight Nights 113 on July 15, 2022 4. def. Alexey Makhno at AMC Fight Nights 121 on July 14, 2023 |
Georgiy Kichigin vacated the title when he signed for ONE. | ||||
1 | Georgiy Kichigin def. Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov | FNG 65 Astana, Kazakhstan | May 19, 2017 | 1. def. Magomed Nurov at FNG 80 on November 26, 2017 |
70 kg (155 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Alexander Sarnavskiy | AMC Fight Nights 123 Moscow, Russia | February 23, 2024 | |
4 | Magomed Sulumov def. Akhmed Aliev | AMC Fight Nights 121 Moscow, Russia | July 14, 2023 | |
Nariman Abbasov vacated the title when he tested free agency. | ||||
3 | Nariman Abbasov def. Kuat Khamitov | FNG 93 Mytishchi, Russia | April 26, 2019 | 1. def. Mikhail Gogitidze at FNG 98 on September 25, 2020 2. def. Shamil Amirov at AMC Fight Nights 100 on April 10, 2021 3. def. Shamil Zavurov at AMC Fight Nights: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament on September 17, 2021 4. def. Marif Piraev at AMC Fight Nights 112 on June 10, 2022 |
Akhmed Aliev vacated the title when he signed for PFL. | ||||
2 | Akhmed Aliev | FNG 83 Moscow, Russia | February 22, 2018 | |
1 | Magomedsaygid Alibekov def. Nariman Abbasov | FNG 56 Vladivostok, Russia | December 9, 2016 | 1. def. Kuat Khamitov at FNG 63 on April 21, 2017 |
66 kg (145 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Khabibulin vacated the title when he signed for ACA. [13] | ||||
3 | Gleb Khabibulin def. Arkadiy Osipyan | AMC FN 115 Sochi, Russia | October 14, 2022 | |
Mukhamed Eminov vacated the title when he tested free agency. | ||||
2 | Mukhamed Eminov def. Aleksandr Grozin | Festival Stepping into Immortality Ekaterinburg, Russia | March 1, 2020 | 1. def. Muratbek Kasymbay at FNG / GFC on September 9, 2020 2. def. Akhmed Balkizov at FNG 99 on December 25, 2020 3. def. Roman Silagadze at AMC Fight Nights 105 on October 16, 2021 |
Alexander Matmuratov vacated the title when he signed for ACA. | ||||
1 | Alexander Matmuratov def. Ilya Kurzanov | FNG 62 Moscow, Russia | March 31, 2017 | 1. def. Evgeniy Ignatiev at FNG 81 on December 15, 2017 |
61 kg (135 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Sabit Zhusupov | AMC FN 115 Sochi, Russia | October 14, 2022 | 1. def. Wanderley Junior at AMC Fight Nights 122 on November 10, 2023 [14] |
3 | Vladimir Egoyan def. Gustavo Erak | AMC Fight Nights: Sochi Sochi, Russia | February 23, 2021 | |
Evgeniy Ignatiev vacated the title when he signed for RCC Boxing Promotions | ||||
2 | Evgeniy Ignatiev def. Nikita Boltabaev | FNG 94 Moscow, Russia | October 12, 2019 | |
Tomáš Deák vacated the title when he signed for Oktagon MMA. | ||||
1 | Tomáš Deák def. Nikita Chistyakov | FNG 75 Moscow, Russia | October 6, 2017 | 1. def. Sharamazan Chupanov at FNG 84 on March 2, 2018 |
57 kg (125 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vartan Asatryan vacated the title when he signed for ACA. [15] | ||||
5 | Vartan Asatryan def. Vladimir Alekseev | AMC Fight Nights 109 Sochi, Russia | February 23, 2022 | |
Moris Boleyan vacated the title when he tested free agency. | ||||
4 | Moris Boleyan def. Anatoly Kondratyev | FNG Steel Heart XI Magnitogorsk, Russia | January 22, 2021 | 1. def. Azizkhan Chorshanbiev at AMC Fight Nights 103 on July 15, 2021 |
Zhalgas Zhumagulov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
3 | Zhalgas Zhumagulov | FNG 88 Astana, Kazakhstan | August 31, 2018 | 1. def. Ali Bagautinov at FNG 95 on October 19, 2019 |
2 | Tagir Ulanbekov | FNG 76 Moscow, Russia | October 8, 2017 | |
1 | Vartan Asatryan def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov | FNG 65 Astana, Kazakhstan | May 19, 2017 |
61 kg (135 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Liana Jojua vacated the title when she signed for UFC. | ||||
1 | Liana Jojua def. Marina Mokhnatkina | FNG 83 Moscow, Russia | February 22, 2018 |
This is a list of fighters who currently compete and have competed in the past for Fight Nights Global:
Jon Fitch is an American retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and most recently for Bellator MMA. In the UFC, Fitch compiled a record of 14–3–1 and once challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship. In the PFL, Fitch achieved championship success when he won the PFL Welterweight Championship, and he also once challenged for the Bellator MMA Welterweight World Championship.
Alessio Sakara is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has also formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Jungle Fight, Cage Warriors, and M-1 Global.
Héctor Lombard is a Cuban-Australian professional mixed martial artist, bodybuilder, and former Olympic judoka who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Eagle FC. Lombard has also competed in the middleweight and welterweight divisions. Lombard is best known for his tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has also fought in Deep, Pride, and Bellator where he was the inaugural Bellator Middleweight Champion.
Rousimar Palhares is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Fight Nights Global (FNG), and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). His nickname Toquinho, Portuguese for "little tree stump", comes from his short, stocky, heavily muscled build and the low success rate his opponents have had in grappling him down to the canvas. Palhares is primarily known for his powerful ground game. Of his 16 submission victories 12 have come from leg locks. He is also known for his refusal to release submission holds when either the opposing fighter has signaled submission or the referee has called a stop to the bout, causing him to be fired by the UFC and WSOF.
Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. Alexander is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and traditional kickboxing. He trains at the "Saturn Profi" sports club in Omsk, Russia, and holds a degree in Physical Culture at the Siberian University of Physical Culture.
UFC 101: Declaration was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first UFC event held in Philadelphia. The event featured the second title defense of Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn against Kenny Florian, and a non-title Light Heavyweight bout for Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva against former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.
Steven Joseph "Steve" Carl is an American mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Carl previously competed for Bellator from 2010 to 2011 and last competed in the welterweight division for Absolute Championship Akhmat. He is the former WSOF Welterweight Champion.
David Branch is an American former mixed martial artist who competed as a middleweight. A professional competitor since 2007, he has fought for the UFC, World Series of Fighting, Bellator, Shark Fights, and Titan FC. Branch is the former WSOF Light Heavyweight Champion and WSOF Middleweight Champion.
Maiquel José Falcão Gonçalves was a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, Falcão was perhaps best known for his stint in Bellator, winning the Season Six Middleweight Tournament; he also fought for the UFC, KSW, Fight Nights Global, and M-1 Global.
Batu Sergeyevich Khasikov is a Russian politician, activist and former kickboxer who has served as Head of the Republic of Kalmykia since 2019. He previously served as a Russian Federation Senator from 2012 to 2014 and Member of the People's Khural from 2008 to 2012.
Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov is a Russian mixed martial artist, sambist and judoka who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 2010 till 2021, he competed for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion, M-1 Global and Fight Nights Global.
Murad Magomedkhanovich Machaev is a Russian former mixed martial artist, who competed in the lightweight division for the Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), Eurasia Fight Nights Global and Bellator MMA veteran, he is the winner of the 2011 Fedor Emelianenko Cup.
Vladimir Konstantinovich Mineev is a Russian Middleweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist.
World Series of Fighting 9: Carl vs. Palhares was a mixed martial arts event held March 29, 2014 in Paradise, Nevada, United States.
The year 2017 was the 7th year in the history of the Fight Nights Global, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. It started broadcasting through a television agreement with Match TV.
The year 2018 was the 8th year in the history of the Fight Nights Global, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. The company continues broadcasts through Match TV, Fight Network and is looking for a new US-based platform since the contract with UFC Fight Pass has been terminated.
The year 2021 was the 11th year in the history of the Fight Nights, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. The company continues broadcasts through Match TV and Fight Network.
Andreas Michailidis is a Greek mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of Oktagon MMA. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA.
Peter Queally is an Irish mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also competed for Extreme Fighting Championship, BAMMA, Cage Warriors and Fight Nights Global.