Ali Isaevich Isaev (russian: Али Исаевич Исаев; born 18 December 1983 in

Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

) is a Dagestani-

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

i professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator MMA. He has also formely compe ted for

Fight Nights Global 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 and features some of the top-ra ...

and

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

(PFL), where he was the 2019 Heavyweight Tournament Champion. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in men's freestyle wrestling at 125 kilos where Isaev placed 17th.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ali Isaev was born to a Dargin family on 18 December 1983 in the city Makhatchkala. Isaev is a Freestyle wrestling European champion. He made his professional MMA debut in April 2016. He fought his first four fights exclusively for

and went undefeated with two decision wins and two knockout wins.

Professional Fighters League

PFL season 2019

In the summer of 2019, Isaev began competing in the Heavyweight division of the

. In his debut, he defeated Valdrin Istrefi by unanimous decision at PFL 3 on June 6, 2019. In his second fight for the promotion, Isayev defeated Carl Seumanutafa also by unanimous decision at PFL 6 on August 8, 2019. On October 31, 2019, he fought twice in one night in the 2019 PFL Heavyweight tournament. He defeated

Kelvin Tiller Kelvin Tiller (born June 26, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Tiller has also formerly competed for Bellator, World Series of Fighting and Sh ...

by decision and Denis Goltsov by TKO in the quarterfinal and semifinal bouts, respectively. He faced

Jared Rosholt Jared Daniel Rosholt (born August 4, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Rosholt has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, Professional Fighters League, and ...

in the finals at PFL 10 on December 31, 2019. Isayev won the fight via TKO in the fourth round to claim the 2019 Heavyweight Championship.

PFL season 2021

Isaev was scheduled to face promotional newcomer Hatef Moeil on May 6, 2021 at PFL 3. However, during the week of the event, it was announced that the bout was pulled due to unknown reasons and would be rescheduled for June. Isaev was scheduled to face Renan Ferreira on June 25, 2021 at PFL 6. Isaev was forced to withdraw from the event after not being medically cleared to compete. Stepping in for Isaev to fight Renan Ferreira was PFL newcomer Stuart Austin.

PFL season 2022

Isaev was scheduled to face Klidson Abreu on April 28, 2022 at PFL 2. However, Isaev pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Adam Keresh. Isaev was scheduled to face Jamelle Jones on June 24, 2022 at PFL 5. However, Isaev once again pulled out of the bout.

Bellator MMA

On September 30, 2022, it was announced that Isaev had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA.

Championships and accomplishments

** 2019 Heavyweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , PFL 10 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:09 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Carl Seumanutafa , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Valdrin Istrefi , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Uniondale, New York, U.S. , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Alexander Gladkov , KO (spinning wheel Kick and punches) , Fight Nights Global 90: Mineev vs. Ismailov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Vladimir Daineko , TKO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 83: Alibekov vs. Aliev , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mikhail Kabargin , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights Global 53: Day 1 - Gimbatov vs. Shokalo , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Timofey Mishev , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights Global 46: Mokhnatkin vs. Kudin , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia ,

References

Wrestler bio on FILAwrestling.com

External links

Ali Isaev
at PFL * Ali Isaev at * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaev, Ali 1983 births Living people Azerbaijani male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Olympic wrestlers of Azerbaijan Wrestlers at the 2008 Summer Olympics European Wrestling Championships medalists Azerbaijani male sport wrestlers Sportspeople from Makhachkala