AMC Fight Nights
Current season, competition or edition: 2021 in AMC Fight Nights | |
Sport | Mixed martial arts |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
Founder | Kamil Gadzhiev |
Owner(s) | Private |
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 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 eminent mixed martial artists.
On June 5, 2017 the company celebrated its seven-year anniversary.
History[]
Founding of Fight Nights Global[]
The company was founded in 2010 by a renowned 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]
2010-2015: early years[]
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 truly high-profile event happened in November 2011 in Moscow and featured the famous Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis facing Batu Khasikov. Batu won by TKO in the first round and broke his opponent's jaw. That was widely perceived as a lucky punch and talks about a rematch arose.
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 decorated 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 convincing 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 long-awaited 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. .
2015-2016: rise in popularity, rebranding and Summa acquisition[]
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) became a landmark event in the history of the promotion company. The anniversary show in Saint Petersburg featured a truly enchanting fight card, headlined by the legendary 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.
2017-present: global growth[]
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 iconic 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.
Rules[]
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.
List of AMC Fight Nights events[]
- By year
- 2010 in Fight Nights Global
- 2011 in Fight Nights Global
- 2012 in Fight Nights Global
- 2016 in Fight Nights Global
- 2017 in Fight Nights Global
- 2018 in Fight Nights Global
- 2019 in Fight Nights Global
- 2020 in Fight Nights Global
- 2021 in AMC Fight Nights
- Scheduled events
ACA | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Event | Date | Venue | Location |
- Events by date
No. | Event | Date | Venue | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
108 | AMC Fight Nights: Sochi | February 23, 2021 | WOW Arena | Sochi, Russia |
107 | AMC Fight Nights: Steel Heart XI | January 22, 2021 | Arena Metallurg | Magnitogorsk, Russia |
106 | AMC Fight Nights Global 99 | December 25, 2020 | Basket Hall | Moscow, Russia |
105 | AMC Fight Nights Global: Winter Cup | December 24, 2020 | Basket Hall | Moscow, Russia |
104 | Fight Nights Global 98: Amirov vs Bikrev | September 25, 2020 | Moscow, Russia | |
103 | Fight Nights Global 97 | September 19, 2020 | Elista, Russia | |
102 | Fight Nights Global & GFC: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament |
September 9, 2020 | Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace |
Moscow, Russia |
101 | MMA Festival: 75th Anniversary of the Great Victory | August 28, 2020 | KSK Express | Rostov on Don, Russia |
100 | Festival Stepping into Immortality | March 1, 2020 | DIVS | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
99 | Fight Nights Global 96 | December 28, 2019 | Adrenaline Stadium | Moscow, Russia |
98 | Fight Nights Global 95 | October 19, 2019 | Sochi, Russia | |
97 | Fight Nights Global 94 | October 12, 2019 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
96 | Fight Nights Global 93: Mytyshchi Cup | April 26, 2019 | Mytishchi Arena | Mytishchi, Russia |
95 | Fight Nights Global 92: Bagautinov vs. Asatryan | April 6, 2019 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
94 | Fight Nights Global 91 | December 27, 2018 | Cition Hall | Moscow, Russia |
93 | Fight Nights Global 90: Mineev vs. Ismailov | October 19, 2018 | VTB Ice Palace | Moscow, Russia |
92 | Fight Nights Global 89 | September 8, 2018 | TBA | Bozhou, China |
91 | Fight Nights Global 88 | August 31, 2018 | Alau Arena | Astana, Kazakhstan |
90 | Fight Nights Global: Summer Cup 2018 | June 30, 2018 | TBA | Bozhou, China |
89 | Fight Nights Global 87: Khachatryan vs. Queally | May 19, 2018 | KSK Express | Rostov-on-Don, Russia |
88 | Fight Nights Global 86: Nam vs. Zhumagulov | April 1, 2018 | Almaty Arena | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
87 | Fight Nights Global 85: Alikhanov vs. Kopylov | March 30, 2018 | VTB Ice Palace | Moscow, Russia |
86 | Fight Nights Global 84: Deák vs. Chupanov | March 2, 2018 | Hant Arena | Bratislava, Slovakia |
85 | Fight Nights Global 83: Alibekov vs. Aliev | February 22, 2018 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
84 | Fight Nights Global 82: Minakov vs. Johnson | December 16, 2017 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
83 | Fight Nights Global 81: Matmuratov vs. Ignatiev | December 15, 2017 | Arena Omsk | Omsk, Russia |
82 | Fight Nights Global 80: Khamitov vs. Queally | November 26, 2017 | Almaty Arena | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
81 | Fight Nights Global 79: Pavlovich vs. Sidelnikov | November 19, 2017 | Diesel Arena | Penza, Russia |
80 | Fight Nights Global 78: Tsarev vs. Guseinov | November 4, 2017 | Lada Arena | Tolyatti, Russia |
79 | Fight Nights Global 77: Krylov vs. Newton | October 13, 2017 | SOK Energetik | Surgut, Russia |
78 | Fight Nights Global 76: Bagautinov vs. Martinez | October 8, 2017 | Olympus Arena | Krasnodar, Russia |
77 | Fight Nights Global 75: Deák vs. Chistyakov | October 6, 2017 | Yubileyny Sports Palace | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
76 | Fight Nights Global 74: Aleksakhin vs. Graves | September 29, 2017 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
75 | Fight Nights Global 73: Aliev vs. Brandão | September 4, 2017 | Ali Aliyev Sports Palace | Kaspiysk, Russia |
74 | Fight Nights Global 72: Hill vs. Engibaryan | August 24, 2017 | Ice Cube | Sochi, Russia |
73 | Fight Nights Global 71: Mineev vs. Michailidis | July 29, 2017 | Luzhniki Palace of Sports | Moscow, Russia |
72 | Fight Nights Global 70: Palhares vs. Ivanov | July 7, 2017 | FSK Sports Complex | Ulan-Ude, Russia |
71 | Fight Nights Global 69: Bagautinov vs. Nobre | June 30, 2017 | Ice Sports Palace Sibir | Novosibirsk, Russia |
70 | Fight Nights Global 68: Pavlovich vs. Mokhnatkin | June 2, 2017 | Yubileyny Sports Palace | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
69 | Fight Nights Global 67: Brandão vs. Galiev | May 25, 2017 | DIVS Arena | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
68 | Fight Nights Global 66: Alikhanov vs. Murtazaliev | May 21, 2017 | Ali Aliyev Sports Palace | Kaspiysk, Russia |
67 | Fight Nights Global 65: Asatryan vs. Zhumagulov | May 19, 2017 | Barys Arena | Astana, Kazakhstan |
66 | Fight Nights Global 64: Nam vs. Bagautinov | April 27, 2017 | VTB Arena | Moscow, Russia |
65 | Fight Nights Global 63: Alibekov vs. Khamitov | April 21, 2017 | Fetisov Arena | Vladivostok, Russia |
64 | Fight Nights Global 62: Matmuratov vs.Kurzanov | March 31, 2017 | Krylatskoye Sports Palace | Moscow, Russia |
63 | Fight Nights Global 61: Aleksakhin vs. Enomoto | March 11, 2017 | Bryansk Ice Palace | Bryansk, Russia |
62 | Fight Nights Global 60: Aryshev vs. Khasanov | March 4, 2017 | Tax Committee Sports Center | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
61 | Fight Nights Global 59: Minakov vs. Linderman | February 23, 2017 | Innovator Sports Palace | Khimki, Russia |
60 | Fight Nights Global 58: Brandão vs. Machaev | January 28, 2017 | Ali Aliyev Sports Palace | Kaspiysk, Russia |
Current champions[]
Mixed martial arts[]
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
Light Heavyweight | Hasan Yousefi | June 18, 2021 | 0 |
Middleweight | Vladimir Mineev | September 9, 2020 | 1 |
Welterweight | Dmitry Bikrev | April 6, 2019 | 2 |
Lightweight | Nariman Abbasov | April 26, 2019 | 2 |
Featherweight | Mukhamed Eminov | March 1, 2020 | 2 |
Bantamweight | Vladimir Egoyan | February 23, 2021 | 0 |
Flyweight | Moris Boleyan | January 22, 2021 | 1 |
Championship history[]
Heavyweight Championship[]
over 93 kg (over 205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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 Nov 19, 2017 |
Light Heavyweight Championship[]
93 kg (205 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | 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 Jan 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 |
Middleweight Championship[]
84 kg (185 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Vladimir Mineev def. Dauren Ermekov |
FNG / GFC Moscow, Russia |
September 9, 2020 | |
Roman Kopylov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
2 | Roman Kopylov | FNG 85 Moscow, Russia |
March 30, 2018 | 1. def. at FNG 91 on Dec 27, 2018 |
1 | Abusupyan Alikhanov def. Khalid Murtazaliev |
FNG 66 Kaspiysk, Russia |
May 21, 2017 |
Welterweight Championship[]
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 |
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 Nov 26, 2017 |
Lightweight Championship[]
70 kg (155 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Nariman Abbasov def. Kuat Khamitov |
FNG 93 Mytishchi, Russia |
April 26, 2019 |
1. def. Mikhail Gogitidze at FNG 98 on September 25, 2020 |
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 |
Featherweight Championship[]
66 kg (145 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Mukhamed Eminov def. Aleksandr Grozin |
Festival Stepping into Immortality Ekaterinburg, Russia |
March 1, 2020 |
1. def. Muratbek Kasymbay at FNG / GFC on Sept 9, 2020 |
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 Dec 15, 2017 |
Bantamweight Championship[]
61 kg (135 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | 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 |
Flyweight Championship[]
57 kg (125 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | 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 |
Women's Bantamweight Championship[]
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 |
Notable fighters[]
This is a list of fighters who currently compete and have competed in the past for Fight Nights Global:
Mixed Martial Arts[]
- Ildemar Alcântara
- Sultan Aliev
- Andrei Arlovski
- Ali Bagautinov
- Diego Brandão
- Julia Berezikova
- Rich Crunkilton
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Efrain Escudero
- Maiquel Falcão
- Vener Galiev
- Peter Graham
- Michael Graves
- Mike Hayes
- Ali Isayev
- Joanna Jędrzejczyk
- Tony Johnson
- Ivan Jorge
- Masanori Kanehara
- Nikita Krylov
- Alexei Kudin
- Murad Machaev
- Ruslan Magomedov
- Levan Makashvili
- Fábio Maldonado
- Danny Martinez
- Derrick Mehmen
- Vitaly Minakov
- Vladimir Mineev
- Rasul Mirzaev
- Marina Mokhnatkina
- Tyson Nam
- Emanuel Newton
- Diego Nunes
- Valentijn Overeem
- Rousimar Palhares
- Viktor Pešta
- Trevor Prangley
- Brett Rogers
- Eddie Sanchez
- Alexander Sarnavskiy
- Fabiano Scherner
- Alexander Shlemenko
- Kirill Sidelnikov
- Antônio Silva
- Elias Silvério
- Chommanee Sor Taehiran
- Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
- Dominique Steele
- Akop Stepanyan
- Tim Sylvia
- Michail Tsarev
- Albert Tumenov
- Anastasia Yankova
- Shamil Zavurov
Kickboxing[]
References[]
- ^ "Cyrus Fees joins Fight Nights Global". The Underground. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ "Banned hockey enforcer gets offer from Russian MMA promotion". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ "Fight Nights Global signs Rousimar Palhares, Ali Bagautinov". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ "Kamil Gadzhiyev: "FIGHT NIGHTS introduces the system of doping control"". greatest.info. Retrieved 2017-03-21.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Former Bellator MMA Champion Facing Bigfoot Silva At Fight Nights Global Event | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ DNA, MMA. "Uitslagen : Fight Nights Global 69 : Bagautinov vs. Nobre". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ "Diego Brandao leaps over cage in anger at Fight Nights Global 73". FanSided. 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ "Nikta Krylov meets Emanuel Newton at Fight Nights Global 68, promotion's fourth event in 2-week stretch". MMAjunkie. 2017-05-07. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
External links[]
- Fight Nights Global
- Organizations established in 2010
- Mixed martial arts organizations
- Sports organizations of Russia
- Mixed martial arts in Russia
- 2010 establishments in Russia