Mikhail Zayats (russian: Михаил Заяц;born October 14, 1981) is an ethnic Russian 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, incorp ...

currently competing in

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division. He has also competed in

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

. According to the global-mma.com rankings, he is the 7th ranked Light Heavyweight in the world (outside of the UFC).

Mixed martial arts career

M-1 Global

Mikhail Zayats defeated powerful

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

David Tkeshelashvili by

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

at 2:26 in the first round. Zayats faced Malik Merad on April 28, 2011 at М-1 Challenge XXV: Zavurov vs. Enomoto. He won via TKO (punches) in the second round. Zayats faced

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 ...

on October 14, 2011 at М-1 Challenge XXVII: Garner vs. Grishin for the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost via TKO (head kick and punches) in the third round.

Bellator MMA

Mikhail Zayats was signed in Bellator and will perform on Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round in 2013 on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

. In his Bellator debut, Zayats faced Brazilian MMA legend and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ult ...

in the Light Jeavyweight Yournament on January 17, 2013 at

Bellator 85 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes and all of the ch ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. In the semifinal, Zayats faced

Jacob Noe Jacob Noe (born July 29, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2013, he also competed for Strikeforce. Background Noe was born in ...

. This fight is expected to occur on February 21, 2013 at

Bellator 90 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He won the fight in dominant fashion, ending it with an armbar submission in the first round. Zayats faced

Emanuel Newton Emanuel Newton (born February 1, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division, where he is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. He has also competed for WEC, King of the ...

on March 28, 2013 in Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament at

Bellator 94 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He lost via unanimous decision. Post-fight, Zayats confirmed that he suffered a rib injury just days before the fight. The injury would keep him out of the upcoming Bellator Summer Series. Zayats faced

Aaron Rosa Aaron Isaac Rosa (born May 28, 1983) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2013, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, ShoXC, and Strikeforce. Background Born and raised in the borde ...

on October 11, 2013 at

Bellator 103 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes and all of the ch ...

. He won the fight via submission. Zayats entered into the Bellator season ten Light Heavyweight tournament on February 28, 2014. He faced

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wre ...

in the semifinals at

Bellator 110 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

** Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Runner-Up *

**M-1 Challenge 2008 Championships.

Ju-Jitsu

* Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) **Ju-Jitsu European Champion.

ARG (Army Hand-to-Hand Combat)

*Russian Union of Martial Arts **Russian National Champion of Army Hand-to-Hand Combat

Sambo

*All-Russian Sambo Federation **Combat Sambo Russia National Champion. *Federation International Amateur de Sambo (FIAS) ** 2008 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 24–8 ,

Caio Magalhaes Caio may refer to: * Caio (name), a Portuguese given name derived from the Latin given name Gaius * Caio, Carmarthenshire, a village in west Wales * ''Caio'' (moth), a genus * Italian destroyer ''Caio Duilio'', a destroyer of the Italian Navy Se ...

, Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 91 - Swain vs. Nuertiebieke , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Middleweight debut , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 , Marcus Vanttinen , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 82 - Vanttinen vs. Zayats , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 22–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 ,

, Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Final. , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...

, United States , Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 ,

, TKO (spinning back fist and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:49 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, United States , Bellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Marcin Elsner , Submission (guillotine choke) , Abu Dhabi Warriors 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:44 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Mathias Schuck , Decision (unanimous) , Cup of Peresvet , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Alexei Varagushin , TKO (punches) , League S-70: Russian Championship Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Bogdan Savchenko , Submission (guillotine choke) , IMAT: Third Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Juha Saarinen , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Cage 18: Turku , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:36 ,

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 ,

, TKO (head kick and punches) , M-1 Challenge 27: Magalhaes vs. Zayats , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, United States , For

Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Malik Merad , TKO (punches) , M-1 Challenge 25: Zavurov vs. Enomoto , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:49 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , David Tkeshelashvili , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

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 million ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Matias Baric , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 21: Guram vs. Garner , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Toni Valtonen , Submission (armbar) , Fight Festival Goes Kaisaniemi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , Robert Jocz , TKO (punches) , BOTE: Chahbari vs. Souwer , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 ,

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river Ijssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 1 ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Lee Sang-Soo , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 20: 2009 Finals , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 , Lucio Linhares , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Global: Breakthrough , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Alexandre Machado , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 15: Brazil , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Jae Young Kim , TKO (head kick) , M-1 Challenge 12: USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:02 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , David Haagsma , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Challenge 11: 2009 Challenge Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villages o ...

, Netherlands , Won M-1 Challenge GP team. , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Seung Bae Whi , Decision (majority) , M-1 Challenge 9: Russia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Alexei Kalistartov , Submission (armbar) , RMAU: Battle of the Champions 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , John Cornett , Submission (hand injury) , M-1 Challenge 7: UK , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Lucio Linhares , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 4: Battle on the Neva 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Daniel Tabera , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 MFC: Fedor Emelianenko Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of Be ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Christophe Daffreville , Decision (unanimous) , M-1: Slamm , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Lukasz Jurkowski , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , M-1 MFC: Battle on the Neva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jin O'Kim , Submission (armbar) , M-1 MFC: Russia vs. Korea , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Christophe Durant , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 MFC: Mix-Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zayats, Mikhail Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing ARB Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Russian jujutsuka Russian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Russian sambo practitioners 1981 births