The 2012 M-1 Challenge season was the fifth season of

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) fighting presented by the

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 oth ...

promotion. The first event of the year, ''M-1 Challenge 31'', was held on March 16, 2012, at the

Ice Palace An ice palace or ice castle is a castle-like structure made of blocks of ice. These blocks are usually harvested from nearby rivers or lakes when they become frozen in winter. The first known ice palace (or, rather, '' ice house'', ледяной ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia.

List of events

Event summaries

M-1 Challenge 31

''M-1 Challenge 31: Oleinik vs. Monson'' was held on March 16, 2012, in

, Russia. In the main event,

Alexander Emelianenko Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko (or Yemelianenko; rus, Александр Владимирович Емельяненко, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Emel'janenko, ɐlʲɪkˈsandr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjæ ...

defeated Tadas Rimkevičius officially by technical knockout at 1:52 of the second round. Reports say that the first round of the fight was fairly even, though Emelianenko was able to drop his opponent late in the round. During the second round, Rimkevičius tapped out to the punches coming from Emelianenko. The M-1 Global Welterweight Championship was won by

Rashid Magomedov Rashid Magomedgadzhievich Magomedov (; born May 14, 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is a former amateur Light heavyweight and Middleweight boxer, and competed at the lightweight mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

from Yasubey Enomoto after a five-round unanimous decision victory. In another featured bout,

Jeff Monson Oregon State Beavers Jeffrey William Monson (born January 18, 1971) is an American-born Russian mixed martial artist, boxer, and submission grappler who competes primarily in the heavyweight division. A professional com ...

faced

Alexey Oleinik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their heavyweight division. He beg ...

where Monson won a split decision victory. Results

M-1 Challenge 32

''M-1 Challenge 32'' is expected to be held on May 16, 2012, in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia. The event will include a Lightweight Championship bout in which Daniel Weichel will attempt to defend his title against Yuri Ivlev. But Yuri is injured arm and suffered a bout on June 21 Fight card

M-1 Challenge 33

''M-1 Challenge 33: Emelianenko vs. Magomedov'' was held on June 6, 2012, in

Dzheyrakhsky District Dzheyrakhsky District (; , ) is an administrative and municipalLaw #5-RZ district (raion), one of the four in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It is located in the south of the republic. The area of the district is .Official website of the Re ...

, Russia. Fight card

M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rizzo

On April 6, 2012, Evgeni Kogan, Director of Global operations for M-1 Global, announced that the promotion will hold an event on June 21, 2012, in

, Russia. At this event,

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko; (born 28 September 1976) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA), sambist, judoka and politician. Emelianenko was the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion from 2003 to th ...

must face with

Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for ...

. On June 21, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Russia,

faced three-time UFC heavyweight title contender

in an event promoted by

. Prior to the bout, it was rumored that Fedor would retire after taking on Rizzo. Originally denying any possible rumors of retirement at first, Emelianenko later announced his retirement in-ring post-fight after defeating Rizzo by knockout in the first two minutes of the first round. Fight card

M-1 Challenge 34

''M-1 Challenge 34: Emelianenko vs. Glukhov'' was held on September 30, 2012, in

, Russia Fight card

M- 1 Challenge 35

''M-1 Challenge 35: Emelianenko vs. Monson'' was held on November 15, 2012, in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. "'Fight card"'

M-1 Challenge 36

''M-1 Challenge 36: Garner vs. Guram II'' was held on December 8, 2012, in

Mytishchi Arena Mytishchi Arena (Russian: ) is a multipurpose indoor sporting arena located in Mytishchi, which is 5 km (3 miles) outside of Moscow, Russia. The arena is used to host events such as ice hockey, figure skating, basketball, volleyball, handb ...

Mytishchi Mytishchi ( rus, Мыти́щи, p=mɨˈtʲiɕːɪ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies 19 km northeast of Russia's capital Moscow o ...

. "'Fight Card"'

References

External links

M-1 Global Official Site
{{M-1 Challenge seasons * M-1 Global events