Bazigit Atavovich Atajev (, ; born 3 December 1979) is a Russian

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 '' sanshou'' kickboxer, who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2000, he has competed in

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

and PRIDE Fighting Championships. He is known for a fierce spinning heel kick and

Sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...

style grappling.

Early life

Bozigit was born in 1979 in the village of Lower Kazanyshy to a Kumyk family. He studied in the famous in Dagestan sports-dedicated boarding school " Five Directions of the World".

Mixed martial arts career

PRIDE Fighting Championships

Atajev debuted in

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

in December 2002 and suffered his only loss against Dutchman

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Cha ...

PRIDE 24 The year 2002 is the 6th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2002 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 1''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters Th ...

. Atajev planned to make his return to PRIDE at their final event PRIDE 34 against

Gilbert Yvel Gilbert Ramon Yvel (born 30 June 1976) is a Dutch professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Yvel competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Affliction, the UFC, Road FC, the RFA, RINGS, M-1 Challenge, Cage ...

. However, due to a stomach illness, the bout was cancelled. In 2008, he faced the eventual K-1 champion

Remy Bonjasky Remy Kenneth Bonjasky (born January 10, 1976) is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix heavyweight champion, winning the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008. Bonjasky has been known for his flying kicks, knee att ...

in his kickboxing debut. He was defeated by knockout early in the third round. He won the gold medal at the 2013 World Wushu Championships.

Professional Fighters League

Atajev made his debut in North America on 21 June 2018 at PFL 2 against

Dan Spohn Daniel Brian Spohn (born October 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, and was a competitor on The Ulti ...

in Light heavyweight tournaments. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the third round. In his second fight in the tournament, Atajev faced Sean O'Connell at PFL 7 on 30 August 2018. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. In the semifinals, Atajev faced

Vinny Magalhaes Vinny or Vinnie is a masculine given name, usually a shortened version of Vincent, Vincenzo, or Vicente, which may refer to: Vincents * Vinnie Anderson (born 1979), New Zealand rugby league footballer * Vinny Appice (born 1957), American rock dr ...

, losing via first-round submission. In 2019, Atajev fought

in a rematch at PFL 3, winning in via first-round knockout. On 8 August at PFL 6, Atajev fought Emiliano Sordi, losing via first-round knockout. He faced Sordi again in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament, losing via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–5–1 , Emiliano Sordi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=2, PFL 9 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 , rowspan=2,

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 , , - , Draw , align=center, 20–4–1 ,

Viktor Nemkov Viktor Aleksandrovich Nemkov (russian: Виктор Александрович Немков; born January 26, 1987) is a Russian sambist, judoka competitor and mixed martial artist. Nemkov won the 2011 World Sambo Championships in Com ...

, Draw (majority) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–4 , Emiliano Sordi , KO (punches) , PFL 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 ,

, KO (punches) , PFL 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's nort ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–3 ,

Vinny Magalhães Vinicius "Vinny" de Magalhães (; born July 2, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was a finalist in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mi ...

, Submission (kimura) , rowspan=2 , PFL 9 , rowspan=2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 , rowspan=2 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 , Emiliano Sordi , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 , Sean O'Connell , TKO (spinning back kick and punches) , PFL 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , PFL 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , Light Heavyweight debut. , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 , Jeremy May , TKO (punches) , Kunlun Fight MMA 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Valdas Pocevicius , KO (punches) , HERO'S Lithuania 2006 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 , Beneilton Pereira da Silva , TKO (punches) , RINGS Russia: CIS vs. The World , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Mindaugas Kulikauskas , Submission (armbar) , Shooto Lithuania: King of Bushido Stage 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, Lithuania , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–1 ,

, TKO (knee to the body) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Kestutis Arbocius , Submission (guillotine choke) , RINGS Lithuania: Bushido RINGS 5: Shock , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 ,

, Lithuania , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Chris Franco , Submission (neck crank) , Shoot Boxing: S-Cup 2002 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist, submission grappler and professional wrestler who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor from 1994 till 2022, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships ...

, Decision (majority) , RINGS: World Title Series 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

Aaron Brink Aaron Franklin Brink (born November 12, 1974), also known by his stage name Dick Delaware, is an American professional mixed martial artist and pornographic film actor who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He has competed for King of ...

, KO (spinning back kick) , RINGS: 10th Anniversary , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japana , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Maynard Marcum , KO (punch) , RINGS: World Title Series 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

Roman Zentsov Roman Zentsov (russian: Роман Зенцов, ) (born September 10, 1973 in Bryansk) is a retired Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter who has competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, a major MMA organization based in Japan, and ...

, KO (spinning wheel kick) , BARS: Moscow vs St. Petersburg , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

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, 7–0 , Rolandas Digrys , Submission (armbar) , RINGS Lithuania: Bushido Rings 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, Lithuania , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Dimitar Doichinov , TKO (strikes) , RINGS Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Islam Dadalov , TKO (submission to strikes) , IAFC: Pankration Russian Championship 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluenc ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Vitali Shkraba , TKO (corner stoppage) , IAFC: Pankration Russian Championship 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Yuri Zhernikov , TKO (submission to punches) , IAFC: Pankration Russian Championship 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tikhon Gladkov , TKO (punches) , IAFC: Pankration Russian Championship 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Arunas Juskevicius , KO , RINGS Lithuania: Bushido RINGS 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

, Lithuania ,

Kickboxing record (incomplete)

, - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2008-7-13 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2008 in Taipei , , Taipei City, Taiwan, , KO (jumping knee strike) , , 3 , , 2:17 , , 1-2 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2003-06-25 , , Loss , , align=left, Eduard Voznovich , , BARS: Heavyweight Cup Of Gold BARS 2003 , , Moscow, Russia , , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 1-1 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-06-25 , , Win, , align=left, Denis Grigoriev , , BARS: Heavyweight Cup Of Gold BARS 2003 , , Moscow, Russia, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 1-0

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atajev Living people Kumyks Dagestani mixed martial artists Russian sambo practitioners Russian sanshou practitioners Russian male kickboxers Heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight kickboxers Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo 1979 births Sportspeople from Dagestan