M-1 Global
Mixed martial arts promotion
M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia founded by businessman Vadim Finkelchtein in 1997.
Originating from the Russian "mixfight" scene of the 1990s, M-1 grew from local tournament events into one of the most prominent MMA organizations in Russia and one of the better-known promotions outside the UFC and PRIDE during the 2000s.
The promotion became particularly associated with heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, whose career was managed by Finkelchtein, and became notable for its willingness to cooperate with other major MMA organizations rather than operate solely as a competing promotion. Throughout its history, M-1 has co-promoted or collaborated with organizations including PRIDE, Affliction, Strikeforce and the UFC, while also developing its own international competition through the M-1 Challenge. M-1 has played a significant role in the development of Russian and Eastern European MMA, providing an early platform for numerous fighters who later competed at the highest level of the sport.
01History
M-1 traces its origins to the Russian "mixfight" (Russian nickname for early MMA, or vale tudo) scene of the mid-1990s, when businessman Vadim Finkelchtein became involved in the sport through his promotion of Red Devil Energy Drink. While looking to promote the new brand, Finkelchtein was approached by Dutch "mixed- fight" organizers and agreed to sponsor a tournament in the Netherlands; after attending the event and becoming impressed by the sport's appeal, he decided to bring mixed fighting to Russia. Working with figures from the emerging St. Petersburg fight scene, including Nikolai Kudryashov, Finkelchtein helped organize the first M-1 tournament at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg on November 1, 1997. Billed as a European Championship in Mixfight, the event attracted more than 4,000 spectators at a time when mixed martial arts was still largely unknown in Russia and was commonly promoted as "mixfight" or "fights without rules". The success of the tournament led to the establishment of M-1 as a regular promotion and to the development of the Red Devil Sport Club, an MMA gym which became closely associated with the organization.
Following the inaugural tournament, M-1 gradually expanded its schedule and reach. Early events were concentrated in St. Petersburg and featured single-elimination tournament-style competitions, but the promotion began holding events elsewhere in Russia, including Sochi in 2000 and Moscow in 2003. During this period, M-1 also developed the Red Devil Sport Club into one of Russia's leading MMA teams, attracting fighters from across the country and establishing a close relationship between the promotion, its fighters, and Finkelchtein's management organization. The most important fighter to emerge from this system was Fedor Emelianenko, who began working with Finkelchtein in 2003 after establishing himself as a rising heavyweight in Russia. Fedor's subsequent success, particularly during his reign as PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, gave M-1 an international profile and helped establish the promotion as one of the leading organizations in Russian MMA.
Following PRIDE Fighting Championships's collapse in 2007, M-1 became involved in the transition of Japan's MMA scene through Yarennoka!, a New Year's Eve event held at Saitama Super Arena on December 31, 2007 and co-promoted by former PRIDE personnel and M-1 Global. Headlined by Fedor Emelianenko, who defeated Hong-Man Choi, the event effectively served as a PRIDE's farewell event and bridge between the PRIDE era and the emerging international MMA landscape. M-1's involvement also reflected its growing strategy of working across promotions to keep Fedor competing internationally, setting the stage for later partnerships with Affliction and other organizations.
M-1 Challenge
During the second half of the 2000s, M-1 increasingly pursued an international strategy. The organization promoted events outside Russia and sought to create a global network of fighters and teams, culminating in the launch of the M-1 Challenge in 2008. Unlike a conventional MMA league, the Challenge used national and regional teams competing against one another across a series of events, with fighters representing countries including Russia, the United States, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Japan, South Korea and others. The format helped M-1 build an international roster while providing a competitive pathway for emerging fighters.
Around the same period, M-1 became involved in one of the most significant attempts to challenge the UFC's dominance of the international MMA market through its partnership with Affliction Entertainment. Fedor Emelianenko headlined Affliction's first two major MMA events in 2008 and 2009, defeating Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski respectively. Although Affliction ultimately abandoned MMA promotion in 2009, M-1 continued operating independently and increasingly established itself as a major European and Russian promotion.
M-1, in 2009, signed a contract to co-promote with Explosion Entertainment, owners of Strikeforce.
It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with other organizations) entitled M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough on August 28, 2009 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.
M-1 Selection
The M-1 Selection is a MMA competition where the next generation of fighters are given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage with fighters being eliminated after only one loss; victory will advance the winning fighters throughout the tournament and earn them a trip to the championship event where they will compete for a “M-1 Selection” title.
UFC Partnership
On July 18, 2018, it was announced that M-1 has agreed in a partnership with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where M-1 Global serves as the farm league for the UFC to scout Russian fighters for the UFC and involves in preparation and organizes new shows in Russia. Part of the deal also allows M-1 champions to have the opportunity to sign with the UFC.
02List of M-1 Global events
03Current M-1 USA National champions
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welterweight | Dakota Cochrane | April 4, 2019 | 0 |
04List of M-1 Global champions
M-1 Global Heavyweight Championship
- Weight limit: 120 kg (264.6 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Alexander Volkov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 5 | Alexander Volkov def. Denis Smoldarev |
M-1 Challenge 64 Moscow, Russia |
February 19, 2016 |
1. def. Attila Vegh at M-1 Challenge 68 on July 16, 2016 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Marcin Tybura vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 4 | Marcin Tybura | M-1 Challenge 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
August 15, 2014 |
1. def. Denis Smoldarev at M-1 Challenge 53 on November 25, 2014 in Beijing, China |
| 3 | Damian Grabowski | M-1 Challenge 44 Tula, Russia |
November 30, 2013 | N/A |
| 2 | Kenny Garner def. Guram Gugenishvili |
M-1: Fedor vs. Rizzo Saint Petersburg, Russia |
June 21, 2012 |
1. def. Guram Gugenishvili at M-1 Challenge 36 on December 8, 2012 in Moscow, Russia |
| Interim | Kenny Garner def. Maxim Grishin |
M-1 Challenge 27 Phoenix, Arizona |
October 14, 2011 |
1. def. Magomed Malikov at M-1 Challenge 32 on May 16, 2012 in Moscow, Russia |
| 1 | Guram Gugenishvili def. Kenny Garner |
M-1 Challenge 21 Moscow, Russia |
October 28, 2010 |
1. def. Maxim Grishin at M-1 Challenge 23 on March 5, 2011 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship
- Weight limit: 93 kg (205.0 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Khadis Ibragimov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 8 | Khadis Ibragimov def. Dimitriy Mikutsa |
M-1 Challenge 96 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
August 25, 2018 |
1. def. Rafał Kijańczuk at M-1 Challenge 101 on March 30, 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Rashid Yusupov vacated the title when he signed for PFL. | ||||
| 7 | Rashid Yusupov | M-1 Challenge 66 Orenburg, Russia |
May 27, 2016 |
1. def. Stephan Puetz at M-1 Challenge 74 on February 18, 2017 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| 6 | Viktor Nemkov | M-1 Challenge 63 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
December 4, 2015 | N/A |
| 5 | Stephan Puetz | M-1 Challenge 46 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
March 14, 2014 |
1. def. Luis Fernando Miranda at M-1 Challenge 50 on August 15, 2014 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| 4 | Viktor Nemkov def. Vasily Babich |
M-1 Challenge 43 Surgut, Russia |
November 16, 2013 | N/A |
| Sergey Kornev vacated the title. | ||||
| 3 | Sergey Kornev def. Marcin Zontek |
M-1 Challenge 34 Moscow, Russia |
September 30, 2012 | N/A |
| Vinny Magalhães vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 2 | Vinny Magalhães def. Viktor Nemkov |
M-1 Challenge 25 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
April 28, 2011 |
1. def. Mikhail Zayats at M-1 Challenge 27 on October 14, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Vyacheslav Vasilevsky vacated the title when he moved down to middleweight. | ||||
| 1 | Vyacheslav Vasilevsky def. Tomasz Narkun |
M-1 Challenge 22 Moscow, Russia |
December 10, 2010 | N/A |
M-1 Global Middleweight Championship
- Weight limit: 84 kg (185.2 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bruno Silva vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 7 | Bruno Silva | M-1 Challenge 98 Chelyabinsk, Russia |
November 2, 2018 | |
| 6 | Artem Frolov def. Caio Magalhaes |
M-1 Challenge 84 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
October 27, 2017 | 1. def. Joe Riggs at M-1 Challenge 93 on June 1, 2018 in Chelyabinsk, Russia |
| Ramazan Emeev vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 5 | Ramazan Emeev | M-1 Challenge 56 Moscow, Russia |
April 10, 2015 |
1. def. Luigi Fioravanti at M-1 Challenge 63 on December 4, 2015 in St. Petersburg, Russia |
| 4 | Vyacheslav Vasilevsky | M-1 Challenge 51 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
September 7, 2014 | N/A |
| 3 | Ramazan Emeev def. Mario Miranda |
M-1 Challenge 35 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
November 15, 2012 |
1. def. Mario Miranda at M-1 Challenge 38 on April 9, 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Magomed Sultanakhmedov vacated the title due to health issue. | ||||
| 2 | Magomed Sultanakhmedov def. Tyson Jeffries |
M-1 Challenge 24 Norfolk, Virginia |
March 25, 2011 | N/A |
| Rafał Moks vacated the title when he moved down to welterweight. | ||||
| 1 | Rafał Moks def. Magomed Sultanakhmedov |
M-1 Challenge 22 Moscow, Russia |
December 10, 2010 | N/A |
M-1 Global Welterweight Championship
- Weight limit: 77 kg (169.8 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Rakhmonov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 6 | Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Daniil Prikaza |
M-1 Challenge 101 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
March 30, 2019 | 1. def. Tiago Varejão at M-1 Challenge 102 on June 28, 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan |
| Alexey Kunchenko vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 5 | Alexey Kunchenko | M-1 Challenge 65 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
April 8, 2016 |
1. def. Murad Abdulaev at M-1 Challenge 72 on November 18, 2016 in Moscow, Russia |
| 4 | Murad Abdulaev def. Marcelo Brito |
M-1 Challenge 58 Ingushetia, Russia |
June 6, 2015 | N/A |
| Rashid Magomedov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 3 | Rashid Magomedov | M-1 Challenge 31 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
March 16, 2012 |
1. def. Alexander Yakovlev at M-1 Challenge 35 on November 15, 2012 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| 2 | Yasubey Enomoto | M-1 Challenge 30 Costa Mesa, California |
December 9, 2011 | N/A |
| 1 | Shamil Zavurov def. Abner Lloveras |
M-1 Challenge 22 Moscow, Russia |
December 10, 2010 |
1. def. Yasubey Enomoto at M-1 Challenge 25 on April 28, 2011 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
M-1 Global Lightweight Championship
- Weight limit: 70 kg (154.3 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Roman Bogatov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 9 | Roman Bogatov def. Rubenilton Pereira |
M-1 Challenge 97 Kazan, Russia |
September 28, 2018 | 1. def. Michel Silva at M-1 Challenge/ WKG on January 26, 2019 in Harbin, China 2. def. Mickaël Lebout at M-1 Challenge 104 on August 30, 2019 in Orenburg, Russia |
| Damir Ismagulov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 9 | Damir Ismagulov def. Maxim Divnich |
M-1 Challenge 78 Orenburg, Russia |
May 26, 2017 | 1. def. Raul Tutarauli at M-1 Challenge 88 on February 22, 2018 in Moscow, Russia 2. def. Artiom Damkovsky at M-1 Challenge 94 on June 15, 2018 in Orenburg, Russia |
| Abukar Yandiev vacated the title. | ||||
| 8 | Abukar Yandiev | M-1 Challenge 74 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
February 18, 2017 | N/A |
| 7 | Alexander Butenko def. Artiom Damkovsky |
M-1 Challenge 67 Baku, Azerbaijan |
June 4, 2016 | N/A |
| Mansour Barnaoui vacated the title when he signed for KSW. | ||||
| 6 | Mansour Barnaoui | M-1 Challenge 57 Orenburg, Russia |
May 2, 2015 | N/A |
| 5 | Maxim Divnich def. Dzhambulat Kurbanov |
M-1 Challenge 54 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
December 17, 2014 | N/A |
| Musa Khamanaev vacated the title. | ||||
| 4 | Musa Khamanaev | M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Pedro Rizzo Saint Petersburg, Russia |
June 21, 2012 |
1. def. Niko Puhakka at M-1 Challenge 37 on February 27, 2013 in Orenburg, Russia |
| 3 | Daniel Weichel | M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson Moscow, Russia |
November 20, 2011 | N/A |
| 2 | Jose Figueroa | M-1 Challenge 24 Norfolk, Virginia |
March 25, 2011 | N/A |
| 1 | Artiom Damkovsky def. Mairbek Taisumov |
M-1 Challenge 21 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
October 28, 2010 | N/A |
M-1 Global Featherweight Championship
- Weight limit: 65 kg (143.3 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nate Landwehr vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 4 | Nate Landwehr | M-1 Challenge 95 Nazran, Russia |
July 21, 2018 |
1. def. Andrey Lezhnev at M-1 Challenge 100 on December 15, 2018 in Atyrau, Kazakhstan |
| 3 | Khamzat Dalgiev | M-1 Challenge 86 Nazran, Russia |
November 24, 2017 | N/A |
| 2 | Ivan Buchinger def. Tural Ragimov |
M-1 Challenge 52 Nazran, Russia |
October 17, 2014 |
1. def. Mansour Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 62 on October 10, 2015 in Sochi, Russia |
| Marat Gafurov vacated the title when he signed for ONE FC. | ||||
| 1 | Marat Gafurov def. Vugar Bahshiev |
M-1 Challenge 35 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
November 15, 2012 |
1. def. Yuri Ivlev at M-1 Challenge 41 on August 21, 2013 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship
- Weight limit: 61 kg (134.5 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sergey Morozov vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 3 | Sergey Morozov def. Aleksandr Osetrov |
M-1 Challenge 102 Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan |
June 28, 2019 | 1. def. Josh Rettinghouse at M-1 Challenge 105 on October 19, 2019 in Moscow, Russia |
| Movsar Evloev vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| 2 | Movsar Evloev def. Pavel Vitruk |
M-1 Challenge 81 Nazran, Russia |
July 22, 2017 | 1. def. Sergey Morozov at M-1 Challenge 88 on February 22, 2018 in Moscow, Russia 2. def. Rafael Dias at M-1 Challenge 95 on July 21, 2018 in Nazran, Russia |
| Title Unification | ||||
| Interim | Movsar Evloev def. Alexei Nevzorov |
M-1 Challenge 76 Nalchik, Russia |
April 22, 2017 | N/A |
| 1 | Pavel Vitruk def. Vitali Branchuk |
M-1 Challenge 71 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
October 21, 2016 | N/A |
M-1 Global Flyweight Championship
- Weight limit: 57 kg (125.7 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Vacant | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Aleksander Doskalchuk vacated the title when he signed for UFC. | ||||
| Interim | Asu Almabayev | M-1 Challenge 105 Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan |
October 19, 2019 | N/A |
| Interim | Chris Kelades def. Alexander Pletenko |
M-1 Challenge 103 Shenzhen, China |
August 3, 2019 | N/A |
| 2 | Aleksander Doskalchuk def. Arman Ashimov |
M-1 Challenge 92 St. Petersburg, Russia |
May 24, 2018 | 2. def. Mikael Silander at M-1 Challenge 99 on November 17, 2018 in Nazran, Russia |
| Title Unification | ||||
| Interim | Arman Ashimov def. Mikael Silander |
M-1 Challenge 87 St. Petersburg, Russia |
February 9, 2018 | N/A |
| 1 | Aleksander Doskalchuk def. Vadim Malygin |
M-1 Challenge 83 Kazan, Russia |
September 23, 2017 | N/A |
M-1 USA National Welterweight Championship
- Weight limit: 77 kg (169.8 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Dakota Cochrane def. James Warfield-Lane |
M-1 Challenge: Road to M-1 USA 2 Winterhaven, California, USA |
April 4, 2019 |
05Notable fighters
- Julia Berezikova
- Viacheslav Datsik
- Abdul-Kerim Edilov
- Ramazan Emeev
- Alexander Emelianenko
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Movsar Evloev
- Radmir Gabdullin
- Marat Gafurov
- Vener Galiev
- Sergey Golyaev
- Maxim Grishin
- Khadis Ibragimov
- Daria Ibragimova
- Rustam Khabilov
- Sergei Kharitonov
- Magomedrasul Khasbulaev
- Alexey Kunchenko
- Magomed Magomedov
- Rashid Magomedov
- Islam Makhachev
- Vitaly Minakov
- Jeff Monson
- Vadim Nemkov
- Viktor Nemkov
- Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Alexey Oliynyk
- Yana Santos
- Alexander Sarnavskiy
- Andrei Semenov
- Kirill Sidelnikov
- Shahbulat Shamhalaev
- Alexander Shlemenko
- Akop Stepanyan
- Mairbek Taisumov
- Gasan Umalatov
- Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
- Alexander Volkov
- Alexander Yakovlev
- Shamil Zavurov
- Mikhail Zayats
- Roman Zentsov
- Shamar Bailey
- Rudy Bears
- Paul Bradley
- Steve Carl
- Dakota Cochrane
- Raphael Davis
- Shane del Rosario
- Jake Ellenberger
- Jamall Emmers
- Luigi Fioravanti
- Travis Fulton
- Herbert Goodman
- Brandon Halsey
- Hayder Hassan
- Dave Jansen
- Mike Johnson
- Mark Kerr
- Muhammed Lawal
- Nate Landwehr
- Bristol Marunde
- Zach Makovsky
- Cody McKenzie
- Jeff Monson
- Bao Quach
- Joe Riggs
- Shannon Ritch
- Kevin Roddy
- Ben Rothwell
- Dave Strasser
- Colton Smith
- Rodney Wallace
- Mike Whitehead
- Keith Wisniewski
- Travis Wiuff
- Klidson Abreu
- Daniel Acácio
- Igor Araújo
- João Assis
- Carlos Barreto
- Hacran Dias
- Carlos Eduardo
- Maiquel Falcão
- Ivan Jorge
- Caio Magalhães
- Vinny Magalhães
- Ronny Markes
- Mario Miranda
- Pedro Rizzo
- Giva Santana
- Bruno Silva
- Bob Schrijber
- Rodney Glunder
- Brian Lo-A-Njoe
- Melvin Manhoef
- Gegard Mousasi
- Alistair Overeem
- Valentijn Overeem
- Rick Rootlieb
- Ronny Rivano
- Sander Thonhauser
- Piet van Gammeren
- Herman van Tol
- Gilbert Yvel
- Kazuhiro Hamanaka
- Satoshi Ishii
- Yusuke Kawaguchi
- Tatsuya Mizuno
- Daisuke Nakamura
- Yushin Okami
- Yuya Shirai
- Karl Amoussou
- Mansour Barnaoui
- Bendy Casimir
- Ferrid Kheder
- Mickaël Lebout
- Fernand Lopez
- Reda Oudgou
- Norman Paraisy
- Damian Grabowski
- Rafał Moks
- Tomasz Narkun
- Marcin Tybura
- Chalid Arrab
- Stephan Puetz
- Daniel Weichel
Other
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “M-1 Global”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- M-1 Global 2.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
