Julia Alexandrovna Berezikova (; born ) is a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

female

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

and

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. In February, 2014 she was the #7-ranked 125-pound female fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings. She has not fought since she knocked out Rosy Duarte in October 2015. She is a W5 World Champion and is also a champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

, Sanda, Sambo and

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

Background

Berezikova was born on in Krasnokamensk,

Zabaykalsky Krai Zabaykalsky Krai is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the Russian Far East. Its administrative center is Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Chita. As of the Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census, the population was ...

(at the time

Chita Oblast Chita Oblast ( rus, Чити́нская о́бласть, r=Čitínskaja óblastj, p=tɕɪˈtʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) was a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in southeast Siberia, Russia. Its administrative center was the city of Chita. ...

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 ...

. During her childhood, Berezikova injured her back after an unsuccessful flip and her doctors thought that she would not be able to practice sport any longer, but she was able to make a complete recovery. Berezikova arrived in

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 ...

in 1999, and in 2001 she first learned about MMA. Berezikova's brother was an acquaintance of

Roman Zentsov Roman Zentsov (, ) (born September 10, 1973 in Bryansk) is a retired Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter who has competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, a major MMA organization based in Japan, and BodogFIGHT. Zentsov has an overa ...

, who recommended that Berezikova begin training in boxing to combine it with her knowledge of judo. Berezikova became a medalist in Wushu Sanda in 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was the champion of Saint Petersburg in boxing, the winner of Russia's Boxing Cup in 2003, winner of the Russian boxing championship in 2004 and 2005, Saint Petersburg combat sambo champion in 2004 and Russia Jiu-jitsu champion in 2008. While in Saint Petersburg, Berezikova met Vladislav Lavrinovich, who was putting together MMA events. Berezikova asked him to give her a chance, and although he refused at first, he eventually decided to allow her to compete.

Mixed martial arts career

Berezikova debuted professionally on at ''bodogFight: USA vs. Russia'' in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, being defeated by then #1 female fighter Tara LaRosa by

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

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 ...

in the second round; an accomplishment, according to Berezikova, since she was a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

in MMA. Berezikova next faced South Korean MMA debutant Song Lee Jin, whom Berezikova quickly defeated by TKO in 51 seconds at

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 ...

's event ''M-1 MFC: Russia vs. Korea'' on in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. On at ''bodogFight: Clash of the Nations'', Berezikova was defeated by American Julie Kedzie in the second via TKO (referee stoppage) after Kedzie trapped Berezikova with a leg triangle from which Kedzie punched Berezikova freely, preventing her from escaping or defending. At ''bodogFight: Vancouver'' on , Berezikova was defeated by English fighter Rosi Sexton via submission (armbar) in round two. Debuting with MMA promotion FightForce, Berezikova faced the experienced

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

and former

Smackgirl Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on Women's mixed martial arts, female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficul ...

open weight champion Megumi Yabushita. Berezikova was able to defeat Yabushita by unanimous decision after a competitive match on at the event ''FightForce: Russia vs. The World'' in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Originally set to fight against French Tevi Say, who had to retire from the match due to an injury, Berezikova defeated fellow Russian Milana Dudieva by submission (punches) in the first round at ''FightForce: Day of Anger'' on . Berezikova returned to MMA on and won her next two fights. On , Berezikova defeated Karla Benitez by split decision at ''Far Eastern Federation of Modern Pankration: Mayor Cup 2012''. Berezikova faced Benitez in a rematch at ''Super Fight League 12'' on in

Mumbai, India Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. She defeated Benitez by submission due to an armbar in round two. Returning to Moscow, Berezikova was defeated by Polish fighter,

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (, born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist, Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. Jędrzejczyk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she holds several records and is a forme ...

by unanimous decision after two rounds at ''Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 12'' on .

Boxing

Berezikova took part in a boxing exhibition match against the Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) champion

Emiko Raika Emiko Raika (来家恵美子, born January 24, 1975, in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese female professional boxer and mixed martial artist. Although more Japanese women have taken up traditionally male sports such as karate, kickboxing and wrestlin ...

on at

Korakuen Hall is a sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with a capacity of approximat ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. She has also participated in other exhibition matches in Japan.

Kickboxing

Berezikova was slated to compete in a

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

rules match on in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Outside sports

Berezikova posed

topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is known as barechestedness. Social norms around toplessness ...

for the Russian version of '' Penthouse'' in the issue of . Berezikova has worked as consultant of fight scenes for some Russian productions. She was a participant of Russia Channel One's show ''Big Races''. Along with fellow MMA fighter Aleksander Emelianenko and other Russian athletes, Berezikova participated in the 2010 Russian TV series starring Yevgeni Sidikhin, ''Olympic Village''.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Rosy Duarte , TKO (punches and knees) , EFN: Fight Nights Petersburg , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:08 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Juliana Werner , Submission (leg lock) , XFC International 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Karla Benitez , Submission (armbar) , Super Fight League 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, India , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Karla Benitez , Decision (split) , FEFoMP: Mayor Cup 2012 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Alena Hola , Submission (armbar) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 , Moscow, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Eugenia Kostina , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 , Moscow, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–3 , Milana Dudieva , Submission (punches) , FightForce: Day of Anger , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–3 , Megumi Yabushita , Decision (unanimous) , FightForce: Russia vs. The World , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–3 , Rosi Sexton , Submission (armbar) , bodogFight: Vancouver , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Julie Kedzie , TKO (punches) , bodogFight: Clash of the Nations , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:49 , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Song Lee Jin , TKO (punches) , M-1 MFC: Russia vs. Korea , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 , South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Tara LaRosa , Submission (armbar) , bodogFight: USA vs. Russia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:28 , Vancouver, Canada ,

Professional boxing record

Championships and accomplishments

Sanshou

*Medalist of Russia in Wushu Sanda 2003.

Boxing

*Saint Petersburg champion 2003-2005. *Russian Cup winner in 2003. *Russia boxing championship winner 2004, 2005.

Sambo

*Saint Petersburg Combat Sambo Champion in 2004.

References

External links

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Boxing

Kickboxing

Outside sports

Mixed martial arts record

Professional boxing record

Championships and accomplishments

Sanshou

Boxing

Sambo

See also

References

External links