Stanislav Nedkov ( bg, Станислав Недков, born December 9, 1981) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n 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 ...

who last competed in 2015. A professional since 2006, he has formerly competed for the

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 ...

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in ...

, and

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 ...

Background

Nedkov was born in

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

and began

wrestling 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 ...

when he was 10 years old. A two-time national champion in

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 ...

, he has also had first-place finishes in international tournaments in Russia,

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Nedkov has also studied in

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

under Kotooshu Katsunori and won his first grappling championship a year after he began learning

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Nedkov made his professional mixed martial arts debut in relative obscurity in 2006 and amassed an undefeated record of 7-0 in his native Bulgaria. Following a year away from the sport, Nedkov was signed to a contract with the Japanese promotion

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2010, it was announced Nedkov had signed a contract with the UFC. Nedkov was expected to make his UFC debut against Rodney Wallace on August 7, 2010 at

UFC 117 ''UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States. Background UFC President Dana White announced via ESPN on Jim Ro ...

, but Nedkov was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Phil Davis Nedkov was expected to face

Steve Cantwell Steven Francis Cantwell (born August 12, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and for the UFC's sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting. There, Cantwell ...

on October 16, 2010 at

UFC 120 ''UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 16, 2010, at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The card featured six televised MMA bouts, as well as four un-aired preli ...

. However, less than 48 hours before the event, Cantwell was forced off the card after suffering a knee injury during a pre-fight training session. With no time to find a suitable opponent for Nedkov, the bout was cancelled. Nedkov eventually made his UFC debut against

Luiz Cane Luiz is a Portuguese given name that is an alternative form of Luís. It's archaic in Portugal, but common in Brazil. Notable people referred to by this name include the following: People *Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001), Brazilian guitarist and composer ...

UFC 134 ''UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Rio'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was the second that t ...

. Nedkov won the fight via TKO (punches) in the first round. Nedkov was scheduled to return to the UFC at

UFC 142 ''UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first UFC event of the year, and was broadcast live on pay-per-view ...

. He was expected to take on

Fabio Maldonado Fabio is a given name descended from Latin '' Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

at this event, however alleged visa problems forced Nedkov to withdraw from the bout. Nedkov faced

Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional Association Football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and captains the Brazil national football team, Brazil national team. Con ...

on November 10, 2012 at

UFC on Fuel TV 6 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 6'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 10, 2012, at the Macau, SAR, China. It was the first UFC event held in China. Backgr ...

. He lost via arm-triangle choke in the third round. However, on November 21, 2012, it was revealed that Silva had failed his post fight drug test, testing positive for marijuana metabolites and the result was overturned and changed to a No Contest. Nedkov made his

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

debut against Tom Watson on February 16, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald. He lost the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the second round. Both participants earned ''Fight of the Night'' honors for their performance. Nedkov returned to the octagon against

Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for M-1 Global. As ...

in a light heavyweight bout at UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson on January 24, 2015. He lost the fight via submission in the first round, and was subsequently released from the promotion shortly after.

Personal life

Nedkov married Bulgarian politician

Yuliana Doncheva Yuliana Doncheva Petkova ( bg, Юлияна Дончева Петкова; born 25 June 1965) is a Bulgarian politician, businesswoman and television personality. Life Born in Shumen, Doncheva is a graduate of the University of Architecture, ...

in 2010.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tom Watson

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 (1) ,

, Submission (standing guillotine choke) , UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–1 (1) , Tom Watson , TKO (knees and punches) , UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:42 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , NC , align=center, 12–0 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Augustin Helgiu , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BMMAF: Warriors 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

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

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he became ...

, Decision (split) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 9–0 ,

Travis Wiuff Travis James Wiuff (born March 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001 and a longtime veteran of the sport, Wiuff has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Bellat ...

, TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:42 ,

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

Masayuki Kono is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently working as a freelancer. He is best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he is a former two-time Wrestle-1 Champion. Career All Japan Pro Wrestling (2003� ...

, TKO (punches) , Pancrase: Shining 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Adelin Lutckanov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MMA Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Goce Candovski , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Bulgaria , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Yanko Kolev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto: Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

Kamen Georgiev Kamen Georgiev ( bg, Камен Георгиев) is a Bulgarian MMA fighter who competes in the Light heavyweight division. World MMA title holder under ISFA rules 2016. MMA ASF PRO (Light-heavywei ...

, TKO (punches) , Shooto: Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Vladimir Shumanov , TKO (submission to punches) , Ichigeki: Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Krasimir Bonchev , TKO (punches) , The Day of the Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Haskovo Haskovo ( bg, Хасково ) is a city in the region of Northern Thrace in southern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of the Haskovo Province, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to Operative Program Regional Develo ...

, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Iliyan Mitev , TKO (punches) , MMA Bulgaria , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Bulgaria ,

References

External links

Official Stanislav Nedkov Website
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nedkov, Stanislav 1981 births Living people Bulgarian male mixed martial artists Bulgarian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Veliko Tarnovo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Veliko Tarnovo Province