Rinat Ryashitovich Fakhretdinov
tt, Ринат Рәшит улы Фәхретдинов
(born 28 September 1991) is a 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 ...

. He currently competes in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division 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 ...

(UFC).

Early life

Rinat Ryashitovich Fakhretdinov was born into a

Volga Tatar The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after t ...

family on 28 September 1991, in the village of Belozerye in the Romodanovsky District of the Mordovian ASSR, an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He started

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

and

Kūdō is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve both safety and practicality, a style of mixed martial arts practised with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, with throwing and grappling ...

at the age of 13. In 2011, he moved from Saransk, Mordovia to Moscow and jointed the "sparta combat sambo club". To support himself, he held multiple jobs while studying law at Mordovia State University through correspondence.

Mixed martial arts career

In his early 20s, he transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA), participating in amateur tournaments and gaining experience. He secured the SFC championship and later received an invitation to compete in the GFC, a prominent MMA league in Russia. On 3 May 2019 he became the Gorilla Fighting Championship champion in middleweight division after a submission win over Alberto Pereira. At the UAE Warriors 15 tournament, his knockout victory over

Eric Spicely Eric Benjamin Spicely (born September 29, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler competing in the middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

caught the attention of UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, who offered him a contract to join the UFC. This made Fakhretdinov the first Tatar fighter to compete in a Western MMA promotion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Fakhretdinov made his UFC debut on June 4, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 207 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 207'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 65'' or ''UFC Vegas 56'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 4, 2022, at the ...

in a welterweight bout against

Andreas Michailidis Andreas Michailidis ( gr, Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης, born July 18, 1988) is a Greek mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA. Backgroun ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Fakhretdinov was expected to face Michael Morales on December 17, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 216 ''UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 216, UFC on ESPN+ 74'' and ''UFC Vegas 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 17, 2022, at the ...

. However, Morales pulled out and was replaced by Bryan Battle. Fakhretdinov won the one-sided fight by unanimous decision. Fakhretdinov faced

Kevin Lee Kevin Jesse Lee Jr. (born September 4, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight and Super Lightweight divisions of Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC). He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Ch ...

on July 1, 2023, at

UFC on ESPN 48 ''UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 48'' and ''UFC Vegas 76'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 1, 2023, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpr ...

. He won the fight via technical submission due to a guillotine choke with in the opening minute. Fakhretdinov faced

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ...

on November 4, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 231 ''UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 231'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 89'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 4, 2023, at Ginásio do Ibirapuera i ...

. The bout ended in a majority draw. Fakhretdinov faced

Nicolas Dalby Nicolas Dalby (born November 16, 1984) is a Danish mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the Welterweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2008, he is both a former Welterweight and interim welterweight ...

on June 22, 2024, at UFC on ABC 6. He won the fight by split decision.

Professional grappling career

Fakhretdinov competed against

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

at ADXC 2 on January 19, 2024. He won the match by unanimous decision. Fakhretdinov competed against Craig Jones at Pit Submission Series 4 on April 20, 2024. He lost the match by submission due to a triangle choke.

Championships and accomplishments

Eagle Fighting Championship Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was renamed to Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC ...

(Then Gorilla Fighting Championship) ** GFC Middleweight Championship (One time) *** One successful title defence *Russian combat sambo championships — 2nd *Moscow combat sambo championships — 1st

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

, Saudi Arabia , , - , Draw , align=center, ,

, Draw (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis , , 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 , , - , Win , align=center, 21–1 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

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 Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–1 , Bryan Battle , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–1 ,

, KO (punch) , UAE Warriors 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

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, 17–1 , Jhonny Carlos , Decision (unanimous) , GFC 16 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Astrakhan Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Alberto Uda , Submission (guillotine choke) , GFC 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Penza Penza ( rus, Пе́нза, p=ˈpʲɛnzə) is the largest city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Penza had a population of 517,311, making it the 38th-l ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 , Vladimir Migovich , TKO (punches) , Samara MMA Federation: Battle on the Volga 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Viktor Shabalov , Submission (guillotine choke) , Samara MMA Federation: Battle on the Volga 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:15 ,

Samara Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Bayram Mamedov , TKO (punches) , Samara MMA Federation: Battle on the Volga 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Kevin Oliver , TKO (punches) , Prosperity Fight Promo: Battle for Samara , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Nurgazy Kaldar , TKO (punches) , SFC: Legacy of Sparta 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 , Botlikhsky, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Emin Agaev , KO (punches) , SFC: Legacy of Sparta 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 , Botlikhsky, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Denis Gunich , Decision (unanimous) , Octagon Fighting Sensation 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 8–1 , Melis Joldoshev , Submission (guillotine choke) , World Ertaymash Federation 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:04 ,

Bishkek Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...

, Kyrgyzstan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Yuri Ilyin , TKO (punches) , SFC: Legacy of Sparta 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Zelenograd Zelenograd ( rus, Зеленогра́д, p=zʲɪlʲɪnɐˈgrat, lit. ''green city'') is a city and administrative okrug of Moscow, Russia. The city of Zelenograd and the territory under its jurisdiction form the Zelenogradsky Administrative O ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Erikson Betao , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fight Stars: Team Challenge 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Saransk Saransk (russian: Саранск, p=sɐˈransk; mdf, Саранск ошсь, Saransk oš; myv, Саран ош, Saran oš) is the capital city of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, as well as its financial and economic centre. It is located i ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Ravshan Akhmedov , TKO (corner stoppage) , No. 1 Martial Arts Club: Beginning of the Road Finals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:33 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Magomed Isaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , No. 1 Martial Arts Club: Beginning of the Road Semifinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Marat Bekmuratov , TKO (punches) , No. 1 Martial Arts Club: Beginning of the Road Quarterfinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Pavel Bodrov , TKO (punches) , Razdolie Cup 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Aigun Akhmedov , Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2, Igor Vovchanchyn Cup 3 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=2,

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.List of male mixed martial artists This is a list of notable professional male mixed martial arts fighters in alphabetical order. __NOTOC__ A * Shamil Abdurakhimov - ( M-1, UFC) * Daichi Abe - (UFC, Pancrase) * Hiroyuki Abe - (Shooto, KOTC, Cage Rage, DEEP, Pride) * Papy Ab ...

List of current UFC fighters This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fakhretdinov, Rinat 1991 births Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ground-and-pound fighters Russian sambo practitioners Sportspeople from Saransk Russian expatriates in the United States Tatar people of Russia