Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov (russian: Оле́г Никола́евич Такта́ров; born 26 August 1967) is a Russian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and retired

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 ...

. He was a practitioner of

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 ...

and

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

. He won the

UFC 6 ''UFC 6: Clash of the Titans'' was the sixth mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 14, 1995, at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and l ...

tournament. He holds notable wins over

Marco Ruas Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas (; born 23 January 1961) is a Brazilian former mixed martial arts fighter, Submission Wrestler, Kickboxer and instructor. Ruas was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion, and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Champions ...

Tank Abbott David Lee "Tank" Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and author. He currently hosts his own podcast series titled "The Proving Ground with Tank Abbott." Abbott is perhaps best kn ...

, Mark Kerr, and

Anthony Macias Anthony Macias (born February 9, 1971) is an American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the middleweight division. Macias was introduced to MMA in a fight against Dan Severn at UFC 4, which Macias lost by submission. His nickname, "Mad D ...

. Taktarov is of Mari background.

Mixed martial arts career

Taktarov started his experience in martial arts at 12, when he took up both

and

.Robin Postell, Robert W. Young, ''Go for the Legs! Throughout his Life, Sambo Expert Oleg Taktarov Has Sworn by Leg Locks'', Black Belt magazine, April 1999 He started competing in those disciplines during his obligatory

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

, at one point also becoming a

hand-to-hand Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

instructor for the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

, until he retired at 22 in order to become a businessman. However, according to Taktarov, in 1989 he would find himself attracted to a jacketed

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

event called Jujutsu Full Contact, whose four first editions he won in dominant fashion. He also trained in

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

around this time, becoming a four time European champion. In October 1993, Taktarov and a training partner participated in the White Dragon MMA tournament in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, but were forced to flee from the country due to political tensions. He would land in

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, as he planned to pursue a film acting career, though this would be delayed by his lack of fluency in

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Originally travelling to North America, the goal of Taktarov was originally to become an actor but he decided to become a professional fighter in order to gain a visa extension. In order to get in touch with Hollywood actors, and having watched the

event

UFC 2 ''The Ultimate Fighting Championship Part II'' (later renamed ''UFC 2: No Way Out'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 11, 1994, at Mammoth Gardens in Denver, Colorado, United States. The e ...

, Taktarov contacted the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in 1994, offering himself to train

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figures i ...

in sambo

leglock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

s. Although he was accepted as a training partner after proving his skill against several instructors, he was ultimately rejected due to his inability to pay the fee. Taktarov next contacted the UFC management in order to participate himself for the prize money, being advised that he was already familiar with that kind of competition and had a chance of winning. He was finally accepted into the

UFC 5 ''UFC 5: The Return of the Beast'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 7, 1995, at the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The event was seen live on pay per view in the ...

tournament in April, and would later find out that the

Gracie family The Gracie Family () are a prominent martial arts family originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for creating the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also kn ...

had previously pressed to keep him out of the UFC. A week before the event, Taktarov dislocated his knee, but he decided not to pull out of the tournament. Taktarov was billed in the event as "The Russian Bear," a stereotypical nickname invented by his manager, and hailed as a Sambo representative, as this was the most exotic martial art in Taktarov's background. However, he stood out for his friendly demeanor, showing an infectious smile to the camera while introducing himself instead of the intimidating faces and postures other fighters were striking. His first fight was against Kempo Karate expert Ernie Verdicia, whom Oleg quickly submitted by pulling

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, sweeping him between his strikes, and locking an

arm triangle choke Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between their own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, whi ...

for the tapout. He advanced round to meet

Greco-Roman wrestler Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling ( Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mo ...

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed marti ...

, but Taktarov's injured knee limited his performance, already disadvantaged by 55 lbs. Severn took the Russian down, passed his guard and blocked him against the cage wall, where Taktarov was repeatedly hit with

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. ...

s and

headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

s while he tried to look for submissions. As the strikes opened a deep cut on Oleg's face, the referee stopped the fight in Severn's favor. After the event, Taktarov went to train with

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

in his Lion's Den fighting team. He described this time as: "For a month Ken and I fought together. The guys who later became good fighters, like

Frank Shamrock Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III; December 8, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and ...

Guy Mezger Guy Mezger (born January 1, 1968) is an American martial artist, who competed in professional combat sports including Full Contact Karate, Kickboxing, and Boxing, but is most recognized as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. Mezger retired fro ...

, were not any competition for me at the time. The only guy I trained with was Ken, and we had battles behind closed doors. Nobody was allowed to watch them." Taktarov returned at

, whose first round saw him facing Wrestler and Judoka

Dave Beneteau David Beneteau (born June 22, 1967) is a Canadian former mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who is best known for his appearances in Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 5, 6, 15 and, '' Ultimate Ultimate 1995''. Toward the end of ...

. Although Beneteau took Oleg down and stunned him momentarily with punches, Taktarov answered by scoring his own takedown and tapping him out with a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

in the scramble. His next bout was originally against Patrick Smith, but an injury forced the latter to be replaced by

, who shared promoter and training ground with Taktarov. The Russian submitted him in with another guillotine choke in nine seconds, becoming the fastest submission in UFC history in the process. The fighters were unusually booed by the crowd, who suspected the fight to be a

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal tr ...

executed to ease Taktarov's way to the finals. In any case, Taktarov went to the main event of the night, being pitted against the much larger fighter

in what commentators called a "skill vs. strength" match. Both Taktarov and Abbott were already tired and dehydrated by the high altitude of

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

, where the event was taking place.Robin Postell, Robert W. Young, ''Go for the Legs! Throughout his Life, Sambo Expert Oleg Taktarov Has Sworn by Leg Locks - Part 2'', Black Belt magazine, May 1999 The bout was hard-fought, with Abbott dominating the grappling exchanges and scoring punches while Taktarov remained patient and counterattacked with a variety of strikes and submission attempts. After 17 minutes of back and forth action, with both fighters looking devoid of energy, Taktarov locked a

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 ...

for the tournament victory. He had to be taken to the hospital right after with an oxygen mask on. He was later quoted as, "when I went to the hospital after the fight, they said I barely had enough water in my system, only about one gallon." Being the reigning tournament champion, Taktarov was set up to fight reigning UFC Champion

UFC 7 ''UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 8, 1995, at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and l ...

for the UFC Superfight Championship. Due to his friendship with Shamrock, Taktarov accepted the fight reluctantly and tried to find a way to win without hurting him, although he was unsure whether Shamrock would do the same. As with the previous fight, Taktarov displayed an important amount of toughness while defending from the bottom, spending most of the match laying defensively on his guard while receiving punishment. The fight had a 30-minute time limit and went into three minutes of overtime, but the result was the same, with Shamrock scoring strikes both standing and through his guard. As there was no judges, the fight finished as a draw. Taktarov then entered the UFC's

Ultimate Ultimate 1995 ''UFC: The Ultimate Ultimate'' (also known as ''Ultimate Ultimate 1995'' or ''UFC 7.5'') was an event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 16, 1995, at the Mammoth Gardens in Denver, Colorado. The event was seen live on pay per ...

tournament. He rematched Dave Beneteau, who according to Taktarov came to the match having greased himself to difficult the Russian's grip. Unable to throw him, Taktarov resorted to a flying

kneebar A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are f ...

, and promptly transitioned it into an ankle lock to submit Beneteau. He then went to face

Luta Livre Luta Livre (, lit. ''freestyle fighting''), known in Brazil as Luta Livre Brasileira (lit. ''Brazilian freestyle fighting'') or Luta Livre Submission, and also Brazilian Submission Wrestling, is a Brazilian martial arts and combat sport created ...

exponent and highly regarded

champion

. The match was lengthy and slow, with Taktarov trying repeatedly to take Ruas to the ground while the Brazilian caused damage with strikes and made Oleg bleed. After the time went out, however, Taktarov won the decision for his superior aggression during the match. Controversy arose when Ruas's manager Frederico Lapenda complained about the decision. Despite Taktarov being tired after the bout, he advanced round and lastly met

in the finals in a rematch of their fight at UFC 5. The Russian clamped another leglock combination in the first few minutes, which he claimed Severn was going to tap out to before Taktarov was forced to release it out of fatigue. The Wrestler then scored headbutts and knee strikes from dominant positions until the end of the bout, including an overtime controlled by way of Boxing, which granted him the decision. Taktarov ended his UFC career after Ultimate Ultimate, according to him because the management was focused on Shamrock over any other fighter. However, on 21 November 2003, at

UFC 45 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, the UFC conducted a poll amongst the fans to determine the most popular fighters in the history of the UFC. The fans voted Oleg as one of the top 10 most popular fighters in the history of the UFC.

Post-UFC

After his UFC tenure, Taktarov competed for Japanese promotion

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

, where he lost a decision by points to Ryushi Yanagisawa. He then moved to Brazil, where he defeated Joe Charles by submission in World Vale Tudo Championship. There were next talks about a rematch with

, which Taktarov accepted. He even entertained the idea to crash the match with a ringside brawl, which would attract attention by the news media and allow them both to host an anticipated rubber match back in UFC. Ruas's management seemed to get into the idea of setting up a third fight, with his manager Lapenda even making Taktarov promise to fight entirely standing, but Ruas himself fought to win. With one minute left in the clock, Taktarov finally took Ruas down, but he allowed the bout to end in a draw. However, interest was little and the rubber match never happened. Taktarov returned from Brazil with a broken hand, only to find out his manager had put him on a fight against

Renzo Gracie Renzo Gracie (; born March 11, 1967) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family of Brazil, Renzo is a 7th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr. He is the so ...

for Martial Arts Reality Superfighting in ten days notice. Come the match, Taktarov took Gracie down, but the anticipated grappling battle never took off. Taktarov's injured hand impeded him from grabbing an opportune leglock on Gracie, who capitalized on the lapse to fire an upkick that knocked down Taktarov. He tried to continue fighting, but the kick had opened a deep cut and the fight was stopped. In 1997, Taktarov traveled back to Brazil to fight decorated ADCC grappler

Sean Alvarez Sean Alvarez (born July 14, 1971) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division. An accomplished grappler, Alvarez won gold medals at the Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Championships and the Pan Americ ...

in the Pentagon Combat event. Despite Alvarez's size advantage, Taktarov knocked him out with newly polished striking skills. However, he got sent to another match in short notice, this time to Japan in the first ever

Pride 1 The year 1997 is the 1st year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 1997 had only 1 event, ''Pride 1''. Debut Pride FC fighters Given that this is Pride FC's debut year, all fighter ...

show on 11 October 1997, facing Canadian heavyweight and

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran

Gary Goodridge Gary Henry Goodridge (born January 17, 1966), nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian-Canadian former heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Prior to kickboxing and MMA, he was also one of the top ranked ...

. Taktarov suffered a frightening knockout loss, receiving strikes even after having been rendered unconscious, and had to be carried out of the arena in a stretcher. In one of his recent interviews he attributed Goodridge's victory to the peak of the anabolic steroid cycle that Goodridge allegedly went through prior to the fight. Taktarov further asserted that Goodridge's following performances (i.e. a string of losses) clearly indicated the downtrend of the steroid cycle. In Russia, for a specialised event Oleg faced

Dolph Lundgren Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in ''Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...

in a celebrity Boxing match and won via unanimous decision.

Return to mixed martial arts

Prior to making a successful comeback to the sport in 2007, Taktarov's last bout was in 2001. Taktarov announced in an online radio interview in November 2007 his plans to return to MMA with BodogFight. He won his debut match against John Marsh at 33 seconds into the 2nd round of the match by submission (kneebar). His last fight was against

UFC 14 ''UFC 14: Showdown'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 27, 1997 in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on home video. History UFC 1 ...

and

UFC 15 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

heavyweight champion Mark Kerr, again winning by kneebar. Taktarov retired from mixed martial arts with a record of 17 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws.

Submission grappling career

In 1998 Taktarov, who was known as a strong grappler in mixed martial arts, competed in

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

. He had previously trained with

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

practitioners

Wallid Ismail Wallid Farid Ismail ( ar, وليد فريد إسماعيل, born February 23, 1968) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and promoter. Ismail holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) under Carlson Gracie, and is an IVC mixed martial arts ...

Ricardo Liborio Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

and Carlos Barreto. Taktarov fought a "superfight" with multiple champion

Mário Sperry José Mário Sperry (born 28 September 1966) is a Brazilian heavyweight mixed martial artist. His specialty is Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling and ground fighting. He is also one of the founders of the Brazilian Top Team, where he tr ...

, who ultimately defeated Taktarov by points after passing his guard.

Acting career

After temporarily retiring from mixed martial arts, Taktarov focused on his acting career and starred in the movies ''

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...

'', ''

Righteous Kill ''Righteous Kill'' is a 2008 American action thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz. The film stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as New York City Police Department detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. It is the ...

'', ''

Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'' and the second film in the ''Bad Boys ...

'', ''

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

'', '' 15 Minutes'', '' 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out'' and the 2002 version of ''Rollerball''. He also appeared in the first episode of

season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...

of ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'' entitled ''The Two'' and in the '' NCIS'' season 5 finale ''Judgement Day''. He has also appeared in a few Russian productions, and was cast in a few releases from 2007, such as '' We Own the Night''. Taktarov also released several instructional Sambo videos and has made an instructional video with Vladimir Vasiliev entitled ''Russian Mega Fighting''. Taktarov more recently starred in '' Den of Thieves'' (as Alexi),

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

sequel, ''

Predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

'', directed by

Nimród Antal Nimród E. Antal (; born November 30, 1973) is a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Antal was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent. In 199 ...

. He is a leading actor in the Russian television series '' Ex-Wife''. In 2022 he played The Man from Moscow in the film '' The Man from Toronto''.

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

** UFC 5 tournament semi-finalist ** UFC 6 tournament winner ** UFC Viewer's Choice Awardee (one of ten) ** Ultimate Ultimate 1995 runner-up *Iron Gladiators **1994 Iron Gladiators Competition winner (twice)Inside Wrestling, September 1995 issue, article: "UFC/NWA champ Dan Severn proves wrestlers are the toughest athletes in the world!", p.32.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–5–2 , Mark Kerr , Submission (kneebar) , YAMMA Pit Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–2 , John Marsh , Submission (kneebar) , BodogFIGHT: USA vs. Russia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 ,

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, 15–5–2 , Aaron Salinas , Submission (armbar) , Total Kombat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–2 , Moti Horenstein , Submission (kneebar) , rowspan=2, National Freesparring , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 , rowspan=2,

Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...

, Kazakhstan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–2 , Mick Tierney , Submission (kneebar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5–2 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:57 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4–2 ,

, KO (punches) , Pentagon Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–2 , Chuck Kim , Submission (guillotine choke) , World Fighting Federation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

, KO (upkick and punch) , Martial Arts Reality Superfighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 10–3–2 ,

, Draw , World Vale Tudo Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 31:12 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–1 ,

Joe Charles Joe Charles (born July 18, 1958) is an American mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division. He is best known for his time in the UFC from 1994 to 2000. Career Charles was an accomplished high school wrestler and judoka, worki ...

, Submission (kneebar) , World Vale Tudo Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3–1 , Ryushi Yanagisawa , Decision (lost points) , Pancrase - Truth 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=3,

, rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 , rowspan=3,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 18:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1–1 ,

, Submission (achilles hold) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 , , - , Draw , align=center, 7–1–1 ,

, Draw ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 33:00 ,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (rear naked choke) , rowspan=3,

, rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 17:47 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:09 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

, TKO (cut) , rowspan=2,

, rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 , rowspan=2,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Ernie Verdicia , Submission (choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Maxim Kuzin , Submission (choke) , White Dragon: Day Three , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, Latvia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Artur Almaev , TKO (corner stoppage) , rowspan=2, White Dragon: Day Two , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:25 , rowspan=2,

, Latvia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Vaskas Hilma , Submission (choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES , - style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Method , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Event , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - , Loss, ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , ADCC 1998 , , 1998 , , 1 , , N/A , , , - , Loss, , Bueau Hershberger , , Decision (unanimous) , , ADCC 1998 , , 1998 , , 1 , , 10:00 , , , - , Win, , Hani Madi , , Decision (unanimous) , , ADCC 1998 , , 1998 , , 1 , , 10:00 , ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taktarov, Oleg 1967 births American people of Russian descent Heavyweight mixed martial artists Living people Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing ARB Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu Mixed martial artists utilizing judo People from Sarov Russian expatriates in the United States Russian jujutsuka Russian male film actors Russian male judoka Russian male mixed martial artists Russian sambo practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Post-UFC

Return to mixed martial arts

Submission grappling career

Acting career

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Submission grappling record

See also

References

External links