The 37-year old from Liverpool, England has not competed since a March 2022 loss to Makwan Amirkhani at UFC London, the promotion’s first event back in the U.K. since the onset of COVID-19.

That technical submission loss was Grundy’s third straight, dropping him to 1-3 in the promotion in a tough run that saw him paired up with the likes of Movsar Evloev and Lando Vannata.

Grundy, a former BAMMA standout and Commonwealth Games medal winner, began his pro fighting career in Manchester in 2014, running up an 11-1 record before signing with the UFC in 2019. He would win his octagon debut against Nad Narimani before hitting the slide that would end his career, coinciding with his father being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Dave Grundy passed away in April of 2023; his father’s absence was one factor in Mike Grundy’s decision to close out his career, he said in a statement released Saturday.

“That’s the end of the journey for me now in MMA. I’m retiring. I was looking to fight again but it’s just not meant to be,” wrote Grundy. “It’s not because I feel old and finished, but after discussion with some big organizations, it’s just not working out.”

“But what a journey it has been, 31 years of combat sports where I have reached and won at the highest level in freestyle wrestling and mixed martial arts,” he continued. “I am proud to be a commonwealth games medalist and a UFC fighter. One of my biggest achievements in my career was that I got a chance to teach my kids to never give up on your goals. If you really want something you can go get it. Although I didn’t become a world champion I worked my ass off and never left no stone unturned.”

Thanking wife Debbie and his parents, Grundy added that “it just wasn’t the same without my dad.”

Grundy closed out his statement with some advice to young fighters and added that he’ll be focusing on the fighting career of his son, Jack Grundy. The younger Grundy is 6-1 as an amateur in MMA.

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The “spring cleaning” is the latest round of roster trimming, after the UFC parted ways with over a dozen fighters back in late February/March.

The full list of fighters removed from the roster, first identified by automated service UFC Roster Watch on Twitter, breaks down as follows:

• Ike Villanueva
• Fares Ziam
• Luigi Vendramini
• Kazula Vargas
• Mark Striegl
• Jesse Strader
• Bruno Souza
• Devonte Smith
• Rong Zhu
• Kris Moutinho
• Brandon Jenkins
• Austin Hubbard
• Mike Grundy
• Michael Gillmore
• Cameron Else
• Kevin Croom
• Dean Barry
• Gina Mazany

Several of the fighters released have since confirmed the news on social media.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Barry, who is now one-and-done as a UFC fighter. Ireland’s Barry competed against Mike Jackson last month, a part-time fighter and MMA journalist best known for being brought into the promotion to face Micky Gall and pro wrestler CM Punk. Jackson lost to Gall, beat Punk in a boring three-round affair that was later overturned to a No Contest, and somehow kept his roster spot. In a foul-filled affair, Jackson would win a DQ against Barry, who has now been shown the door as a result.

The timing is perhaps particularly cruel in the case of Mike Grundy and Ike Villanueva. Grundy last competed at UFC London in March, and announced at the event that his father was terminally ill. Villanueva, meanwhile, suffered a grade 3 MCL tear in his fight against Tyson Pedro last month.

Another surprise, Kris Moutinho, who faced Sean O’Malley on short notice last year, winning a Fight of the Night bonus for his efforts. While he was knocked out in his second UFC fight this past March, stepping up on short notice, and winning a bonus in the process usually gives a fighter a bit of breathing room. Not so in this case.

Confirming his release on social media, Jesse Strader vowed to return to the promotion.

“I’ll be back, baby. I’m only getting better & I’m in love with this journey I’m on!!!” he wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJxPPTF_LP/

With the release of Vargas and Vendramini, both of Paddy Pimblett’s UFC opponents to date are no longer with the promotion.

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UFC featherweight Makwan Amirkhani knew his spot on the UFC roster was on the line when he came into UFC London against Mike Grundy. Lucky for him Amirkhani was able to pull off the submission win on Saturday night at The O2 Arena.

“When you have few wins you get a lot of friends. Everybody is your friend. When you lose there is nobody. I loved the losses because of that reason that it showed who were the real people around me. And now when those people are gone and only the real ones are left I feel so much joy,” Amirkhani said to reporters at his post-fight scrum.

“Even though there was that pressure the losses showed me a lot of good things.”

His opponent came into UFC London with a lot of hometown support which is something Amirkhani noticed, but did not pay too much attention to.

“That’s all a show I don’t care about that. I was really pleased that fight ended that soon. Almost every sparring that I have had the past one year, two years, everybody has ended in anaconda choke. I have an album in my phone where is all the chokes from sparring and it’s all about anaconda. I showed album to my coach and I was like ‘If all these guys ended in anaconda, how he can survive from this?’ And he couldn’t.”

After such an exciting night for Amirkhani, and seemingly saving his spot in the UFC, what is next for the featherweight and what fight does he want?

“Every opponent that I have lost (to). Burgos, Arnold Allen, Barbosa, Kirk. All of them. I know why I have lost, I know my mistakes, I know where my head was when I was fighting against them. I know. I wasn’t mature enough. So let’s do it.”

Watch the full UFC London post-fight press scrum with Makwan Amirkhani above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Ahead of the event, Grundy had revealed that his father had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and that he was dedicating his performance to his dad — unsure how many more of his fights his father would be able to see.

Every fight has a story, and for Grundy, UFC London’s had become a very personal one.

Right away Amirkhani moved quickly to meet Grundy. After some feints, Grundy used his striking to get in on a takedown, but Amirkhani was able to grab a hold of an anaconda choke. Grundy fought to break the grip on his neck, but was unable to. Grundy went to sleep and Amirkhani earned a big win to break a three-fight losing streak.

.@MakwanAmirkhani locked up the first round submission QUICK 😬 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/KcVyfpRUni

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)

Clearly not the result Mike Grundy had been looking for. Makwan Amirkhani fought like a man who knew his job was on the line — and he admitted as much later in the evening, saying he had shut off his social media in order to maintain focus on the fight, knowing a loss could have spelled his exit from the promotion.

Official Result: Makwan Amikrhani def. Mike Grundy by submission (Anaconda Choke), Round 1, :57

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For Vannata, a talented fighter whose record simply doesn’t reflect his skills, it was a chance for a fresh start. Grundy, meanwhile, was appearing in just his third UFC fight after splitting his first two.

From the outset, “Groovy” Lando showed improved takedown defense. Vannata started the fight with a counter left and a body kick. Less than a minute into the fight, Grundy shot on a powerful double. Both fighters threw knees, but Grundy’s knee hit Vannata below the belt, which halted the action. Grundy landed another takedown, but Vannata got to his feet. Grundy clinched and landed another takedown, but Vannata again got to his feet via reversal. Grundy put Vannata against the fence and ate elbows for it. Two minutes left in the round, and Vannata broke free. Vannata missed on a spinning kick. Vannata threw a high kick, missed, and Grundy shot for a takedown — which Vannata again escaped. Grundy attempted nine takedowns in round one, only landing two.

Both fighters took the center to start round two, but Vannata eventually walked Grundy down. Barely 20 seconds into the round and Grundy shot for another takedown but didn’t get it. Grundy landed a knee on the exit. Grundy shot for a lazy takedown with 3:35 left and didn’t get anything. Vannata landed a switch kick, and Grundy answered with a hard punch. Yet another takedown attempt from Grundy but nothing came of it. Vannata started teeing off on Grundy with some combos. One minute left in the round, and Vannata landed a head kick, but Grundy laughed it off. Another hard punch by Grundy landed.

Vannata landed a 1-2 to start round three, which made Grundy shoot for a takedown, and Vannata sprawled perfectly. Despite Vannata’s strong takedown defense, his volume had been inconsistent early, and it felt like anyone’s fight. Grundy shot for a takedown and ate a hard knee but continued and eventually grabbed Vannata’s neck. Vannata got up and landed a hard slam! With half a round remaining, Vannata landed a hard jab and front kick to the body. Vannata threw a head kick, but Grundy blocked it. One minute left, and Grundy whiffed on a hard right hand. Time was winding down, Grundy missed another takedown. Grundy tried to rush Vannata to cap thing off, but there was nothing doing.

Vannata stuffed 17 of Grundy’s takedowns. A very impressive feat. Vannata was successful in his featherweight debut and handed Grundy his second consecutive loss. But with opposing 30-27 scorecards, Vannata’s biggest win might have come against the judges.

Official Result: Lando Vannata def. Mike Grundy via a split decision (29–28, 27–30, 30–27)

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Entering his third UFC bout, Evloev was a perfect 12-0 in his career. He continued that streak Saturday, but not before a scare.

At first the two seemed content to test out the waters on the feet, but Grundy quickly changed that. After catching a body kick, he took half guard. Although he landed some decent ground and pound, the real threat came when he changed the attack to a d’arce that looked like it might be the end of the fight. Evloev then used an explosive reversal and got it back to the feet. Evloev then scored a big shot on Grundy that appeared to wobble Grundy a bit and opened up a cut under his left eye. Grundy ended the round with one more takedown for good measure.

The effects of being stunned in the first round was soon apparent for Grundy, who began to look for more desperate takedowns from further away. Evloev continued to pick away with jabs and straight punches. Grundy did manage to get Evloev back to the mat on three occasions. However, the time on top was minimal and the story of the second round was the striking of Evloev.

The grappler vs striker dynamic became even more clear in round number three. Evloev continued to get the better of Grundy with the strikes, while Grundy looked to wrestle. Striking was the name of the game early, but Grundy was able to score a takedown about halfway through the round moving immediately to the back. Like most of the second round, it was incredibly short lived. A similar takedown to half guard against the cage yielded similar results. The round ended with Evloev working his jab and picking away at Grundy.

Official Result: Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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The latest UFC London addition will see featherweights Makwan Amirkhani and Mike Grundy throw down. Betsafe was first to report the addition to the quickly growing Fight Night event.

On social media late last month, Grundy revealed he had a fight pending.

Contract signed 📝
this one is going to be a cracker#teamkaobon #kaobon #mma #ufc #ufcfightnight #wrestler #saturday #excited @Kaobon pic.twitter.com/0U5fGu03Fl

— Mike Grundy (@MGWRESTLING) December 28, 2019

Grundy (12-1) was actually part of our 10 Featherweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2019 series, and the promotion did just that. The British freestyle wrestler, who won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, joined the UFC in March 2019, winning his debut against Nad Narimani. The second-round TKO got Grundy off to a good start, but a planned sophomore outing against Movsar Evloev at UFC Shenzhen fell through when Grundy was forced out of the bout due to injury.

Instead, he’ll return to the octagon in London once again, with roughly a year between fights having passed. And it will be Finland’s Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) awaiting him. ‘Mr. Finland’ was stopped by American Shane Burgos in the third round of their bout at UFC 244, snapping a two-fight win streak for Amirkhani. That streak included wins over Chris Fishgold and Jason Knight. Overall, Amirkhani is 5-2 inside the octagon.

UFC London (UFC Fight Night 171) takes place March 21, 2020 at the O2 Arena in London, England. A welterweight battle between ex-champ Tyron Woodley and rising contender Leon Edwards is expected to headline.

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Mike Grundy, a training partner of UFC London headliner Darren Till, will be making his promotional debut today. The Englishman won a bronze medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The wrestling specialist is 11-1 as a professional, with the only loss coming to former UFC fighter Damian Stasiak. Grundy has fought for both ACA and BAMMA in his career.

Nad Narimani made waves in Cage Warriors by defeating hyped prospect Paddy Pimblett for the promotion’s featherweight championship. Since then, Narimani is 2-0 in the UFC with a pair of decision wins in 2018.

The first fight of the night started with Mike Grundy landing several punches against Nad Narimani with Narimani struggling to find his range. As soon as Narimani did, Grundy landed a double-leg takedown, moving into side control, then taking the back of Narimani. Narimani stood up using the cage with Grundy hanging on, eventually breaking free. Narimani shot for a double-leg of his own, but it was easily stuffed by Grundy.

Mike Grundy started the second round with a cracking right straight, then a counter left hand as Narimani came in. Grundy was then briefly dropped in an exchange. Both fighters found their range on the feet as Narimani landed a straight, to which Grundy responded with a takedown attempt. Grundy shot in for a double, but it was easily stopped by Narimani. An one-two from Narimani rocked Grundy and sent him backpedaling, Grundy avoided a high kick then responded with a hook that dropped his opponent despite being rocked. Narimani popped up, but Grundy followed him with punches and the fight was stopped on the feet.

Mike Grundy def. Nad Narimani by TKO in Round 2 (4:42)

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The UFC is coming to England for UFC London on March 16. The card is headlined by Jorge Masvidal and Darren Till along with many rising up-and-comers. The UFC made a big move in signing top prospect Mike Grundy, who will fight former Cage Warriors champion Nad Narimani (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

Mike Grundy
5’8″
Featherweight
31-years-old
Manchester, England
Team Kaobon Liverpool
11-1
8 Submissions (3 D’Arce Chokes, 3 Arm-Triangles, Guillotine, Kimura)

Get to Know Mike Grundy:

Born on March 1, 1987, Mike Grundy has been wrestling since he was a kid. His parents started him in wrestling because he was a shy kid and took that route to gain confidence, soon becoming a natural. He started wrestling at 6-years-old at Roy Woods Club, Woods being a well-known catch wrestler. British Wrestling brought over a coach from the US (Khris Whelan) to try to build up wrestling in the UK and Grundy was fortunate enough to have him as a coach. Whelan was a well-respected wrestler in the US and coached Grundy from a young age.

As a kid, he rarely lost and started representing Great Britain internationally at 17-years-old, medaling in many tournaments all over the world. Grundy took fifth in his first Commonwealth Games in India back in 2010 but stopped wrestling to learn MMA. He went to Team Kaobon in Liverpool with Shane Rigby, who was the wrestling coach there, and wrestled alongside former UFC fighter Terry Etim. Grundy would put up a short amateur career at 6-0, but felt there was unfinished business in wrestling. So he went back and won all the trials for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and got a bronze for England.

Grundy has a long list of wins in MMA and only one loss, which is to UFC fighter Damian Stasiak, but a key win against former UFC fighter Fernando Bruno. Grundy has won the Aspera FC Brazil featherweight and a purple belt in BJJ and Luta Livre.

How Will Mike Grundy Fare in the UFC:

Grundy’s wrestling background has transferred over into his MMA career very well as his wrestling is some of the best among other UK-based prospects. His wrestling is fantastic. He shoots very low and is so quick in his entrances he’s just about unstoppable. The work on the mat is so good as well, with his near-perfect ground-and-pound and positional grappling. Grundy is an expert in side-control as most of his finishes have come from that position. He hasn’t shown too much on the feet, but with his wrestling, it hasn’t been necessary so it will be interesting to see how he does if someone can defend the shots. I think Grundy does very good in the UFC and could very well crack the top-15.

How He Matches Up with Nad Narimani:

Narimani does well on the feet but he’s much better when he’s utilizing takedowns in with his striking though. Nad will have to stay off his back, but in the past, he’s been taken down by lesser wrestlers. Overall, this is a good fight for Grundy but a solid test as Nad is a tough fighter to beat.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Mike Grundy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Here’s a look at last year’s list, with Sergio Giglio and Kevin Aguilar both signing with the UFC in 2018:

• Thanh Le
• Mike Grundy
• Sergio Giglio
• Leonardo Limberger
• Ray Rodriguez
• Khusein Askhabov
• Sebastian Kotwica
• Aliyar Sarkerov
• Brendan Loughnane
• Kevin Aguilar

Leonardo “Kazuya” Limberger

24 | 5’8″ | Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | 12-1 | 7 Finishes | 2 KO/TKO, 5 Submissions (2 Rear-Naked Chokes, Armbar, Guillotine, Arm-Triangle) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 116-36 | Best Win – Fabricio Martins (11-2)

I’ve been high on Limberger for a while as he was on my list last year. He’s the current Shooto Brasil champion and on a nine-fight win streak. Limberger is well rounded but he may be better on the feet. He’s shown one-punch knockout power but his high volume output is where he excels. Limberger throws one-twos from a variety of angles, almost never throwing just one strike, and mixes in kicks beautifully. He is an excellent range fighter with great footwork and perfectly-timed counters. He uses leg kicks as one of his main weapons and does a good job switching to spinning kicks that are neither sloppy nor telegraphed at all.

Limberger has underrated wrestling, as he has great timing on his double leg and he sets it up and executes perfectly. On the mat, you can’t ask for much more, possessing good BJJ on top or off of his back, which shows in his five submission victories. Limberger is constantly passing into better positions, getting the mount and the back, and landing effective ground and pound. Overall, I really see no weakness in him at all and the UFC should snatch him up quickly.

Charles “Air” Jourdain

23 | 5’9″ | Beloeil, Quebec | 8-1 | 100% Finish Rate | 5 KO/TKO, 3 Submissions (2 Rear-Naked Chokes, Guillotine) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 33-24 | Best Win – Alex Morgan (9-3)

Jourdain is excellent on the feet, leveraging athleticism in the form of dynamic skills such as flying knees. He is also a skilled kickboxer, and very good in the clinch. Jourdain does an awesome job landing big shots on the break, an undervalued tool in MMA. Jourdain gets the takedown mainly from the clinch where he utilizes primarily trips. Lastly, his ground-and-pound and conditioning have proven solid thus far. He is really getting better and better and at 23-years-old, the sky is the limit.

Jourdain is the current TKO champion and on February 8 he is looking to capture his second title as he moves up to fight former UFC veteran, Jesse Ronson. Ronson is on a roll with five straight victories, and if Jourdain beats him, he should get the contract the next day.

Mike Grundy

31 | 5’8″ | Manchester, England | 11-1 | 8 Finishes | 8 Submissions (3 Arm-Triangles, 3 Brabo Chokes, Americana, Guillotine)  | Combined Opponents’ Record: 84-38 | Best Win – Fernando Bruno (16-4)

Last year, the UFC went to Liverpool, England, and Grundy, who lives in Manchester and is training partners with headliner Darren Till, should have no doubt made his promotional debut on that card. He ended up not fighting at all last year due to an injury. In his last fight, Grundy beat former UFC fighter Fernando Bruno to win the Aspera FC championship. Aspera is a top regional promotion in Brazil and that win should really have the eyes of UFC talent relations.

Grundy is a former England freestyle wrestling champion where he won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Grundy has transferred that skillset to MMA and has some of the best wrestling displayed outside the big promotions. His explosiveness, timing, and strength make him incredibly dangerous. He also has some of the best work in side control I’ve seen. Grundy is one of the most underrated prospects out there, especially of those based in the UK.

Igeu “Smiley” Kabesa

25 | 5’9″ | Johannesburg, South Africa | 11-1 | 6 Finishes | 4 KO/TKO, 2 Submissions (Armbar, Guillotine) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 67-36 | Best Win – Danny Henry (7-1)

His only loss is to UFC fighter Danny Henry, which was a rematch of their first meeting, which Kabesa won. Of the two, I believe Kabesa has the much higher ceiling. “Smiley” is one of the two best prospects out of South Africa along with Demarte Pena. He is the current EFC Worldwide featherweight champion and on a three-fight win streak.

Kabesa is a very decorated wrestler being a 10-time Wrestling Nationals Champion. He is young and solid everywhere making him one of the top prospects out of South Africa. Kabesa has amazing wrestling and grappling, he can move well on the mat and can reach mount fairly easy. His striking is good too, moving in-and-out with explosive punches quickly and his slips and counters are solid. South Africa gets a bad rep from the fans since countrymen that have signed to the UFC have not done so well, but Kabesa is on another level.

Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios

31 | 5’6″ | Mission, Texas | 11-1 | 6 Finishes | 6 KO/TKO | Combined Opponents’ Record: 54-36 | Best Win – Roman Salazar (10-5)

Ricky Palacios has fought in front of Dana White on the Contender Series, competing last summer. He fought Toby Misech and won a decision. As it wasn’t a finish he still had a solid performance but did not leave with a contract. “El Gallero” is a banger who is very fun to watch as he loves to stand and trade and put on a show. Palacios can be wild at times but he is technical with good boxing as he has a solid jab and heavy leg kicks as well. He’s solely a striker who will test the chin of any of his opponents and has an iron chin himself.

Palacios is a very good fighter who has struggled with takedown defense but he has always shown good ability to get back to his feet. He has the style Dana would love so I see him for sure signing this year and putting up a few Fight of the Night bonuses.

Sung Bin Jo

25 | 5’11″ | Seoul, South Korea | 9-0 | 100% Finish Rate | 5 KO/TKO, 4 Submissions (2 Rear-Naked Chokes, Armbar, Triangle) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 33-43 | Best win – Yoshifumi Nakamura (20-9)

Sung Bin Jo is arguably one of the best Korean prospects right now, owning an undefeated record and a perfect finishing rate. He has good footwork and likes to stay on the outside landing combinations. Jo mixes in body shots and kicks very effectively and has a big overhand right in his toolkit.

On the mat, he is good at hunting for the choke, with three of his four submissions coming via a choke variety. Jo just went through a war where he got the comeback TKO win in the fourth round, winning the TFC championship. If the UFC is coming to Korea this year like they were planning to, then he is in a great spot.

Salahdine Parnasse

21 | 5’8″ | Aubervilliers, France | 12-0-1 | 5 Finishes | 1 KO/TKO, 4 Submissions (2 Rear-Naked Chokes, D’Arce Choke, Arm-Triangle) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 93-56 | Best Win – Marcin Wrzosek (13-4)

Parnasse is a good talent with 13 total fights at only 21-years-old. Parnasse would prefer to keep the fight on the feet where he can use his effective movement and a good kickboxing base. On the feet, he does a good job at moving in and out and really loves to attack with leg kicks, which really set up his strikes better. One of his best attributes is his cardio, as he can fight at the same pace for three rounds, which often leads him passed his opponents.

Parnasse has four wins by submission, all coming via choke, so he is an overall well-rounded fighter. He’s the real deal. The Frenchman is currently signed with KSW, so if he was to fight out his contract this year and doesn’t re-sign with the promotion, we could see him sign to the UFC. 

Bill “Senor Perfecto” Algeo

29 | 5’11″ | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania | 11-3 | 8 Finishes | 3 KO/TKO, 5 Submissions (4 Rear-Naked Chokes, Arm-Triangle) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 86-30 | Best Win – Scott Heckman (27-8)

Algeo is a veteran of two major regional promotions in CFFC and ROC and also fought once in WSOF. In the last six years, he has only lost to a pair of current UFC fighters in Shane Burgos and Jared Gordon. Algeo is well rounded as he has a Blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who has won multiple championships, an All-State Wrestler, Collegiate Boxer, and an undefeated Professional Muay Thai Fighter.

I believe Algeo shines more on the mat where his jiu-jitsu is solid and he thrives in scrambles. He has a good Muay Thai base, landing very well in the clinch but does even better at range with nice kicks and crisp striking. Even though he’s 29, it seems he’s getting better with every outing.

Justin “J-Train” Gonzales

27 | 5’10″ | Greely, Colorado | 8-0 | 3 Finishes | 2 KO/TKO, 1 Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 41-14 | Best Win – Derek Brenon (6-0)

Undefeated as a pro, Gonzales also went undefeated as an amateur at 8-0. Gonzales is still growing as a martial artist and has shown that beating solid competition, including amateur wrestling prospect Derek Brenon, is quite impressive.

Gonzales has always been an excellent wrestler who was a state champion in high school, but he’s been adding a lot of striking to his resume. J-Train could use better footwork but he stays aggressive and has hooks that he throws, but ultimately, they’re used to set up takedowns. Overall, I think he has a good future. 

Aliyar “Tiger” Sarkerov

28 | 5’9″ | Moscow, Russia | 36-5 | 31 Finishes | 9 KO/TKO, 22 Submissions (8 Rear-Naked Chokes, 7 Guillotines, 5 Armbars, Triangle) | Combined Opponents’ Record: 132-63 | Best Win – Tuerxun Jumabieke (19-4-1)

Sarkerov has a massive amount of experience with 41 total fights and is miraculously still only 28. Sarkerov’s last loss came in April 2015 to former top prospect Ivan Buchinger. Since that loss, the Russian has gone on a tear, winning his next 20 fights, finishing all but one. I will say Sarkerov has fought 14 fighters who had losing records at the time or were making their professional debut, but he has beaten good competition as well.

Sarkerov is good everywhere. On the feet, he is very flashy with kicks and body attacks. His takedown ability is perfect, he sets up his entrances well, and he can use a variety of takedowns including trips, single legs, hip throws, and double legs. In general, his takedown ability is where it needs to be. On the mat is where he is spectacular. He is a great danger when it comes to grabbing the neck and putting the fight away. The biggest promotion he’s fought for was M1 Global and that was only once, so Sarkerov needs to be on a big stage.

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