Mikhail Zayats (;born October 14, 1981) is an ethnic Russian former professional

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 ...

currently competing in Bellator's

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division. He has also competed in

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

M-1 Global

Mikhail Zayats defeated powerful Georgian

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

David Tkeshelashvili by

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

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 ...

at 2:26 in the first round. Zayats faced Malik Merad on April 28, 2011, at М-1 Challenge XXV: Zavurov vs. Enomoto. He won via TKO (punches) in the second round. Zayats faced

Vinny Magalhães Vinicius "Vinny" de Magalhães (; born July 2, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was a finalist in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mi ...

on October 14, 2011, at М-1 Challenge XXVII: Garner vs. Grishin for the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost via TKO (head kick and punches) in the third round.

Bellator MMA

Zayats was signed in Bellator and will perform on Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round in 2013 on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

. In his Bellator debut, Zayats faced Brazilian MMA legend and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Renato Sobral Renato Sobral da Cunha (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the U ...

in the Light Jeavyweight Yournament on January 17, 2013, at Bellator 85. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. In the semifinal, Zayats faced Jacob Noe. This fight is expected to occur on February 21, 2013, at

Bellator 90 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight c ...

. He won the fight in dominant fashion, ending it with an armbar submission in the first round. Zayats faced Emanuel Newton on March 28, 2013, in Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament at Bellator 94. He lost via unanimous decision. Post-fight, Zayats confirmed that he suffered a rib injury just days before the fight. The injury would keep him out of the upcoming Bellator Summer Series. Zayats faced Aaron Rosa on October 11, 2013, at Bellator 103. He won the fight via Kimura submission. Zayats entered into the Bellator season ten Light Heavyweight tournament on February 28, 2014. He faced

Muhammed Lawal Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Strikeforc ...

in the semifinals at

Bellator 110 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

** Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Runner-Up *

**M-1 Challenge 2008 Championships.

Ju-Jitsu

* Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) **Ju-Jitsu European Champion.

ARG (Army Hand-to-Hand Combat)

*Russian Union of Martial Arts **Russian National Champion of Army Hand-to-Hand Combat

Sambo

*All-Russian Sambo Federation **Combat Sambo Russia National Champion. *Federation International Amateur de Sambo (FIAS) ** 2008 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist.

Mixed martial arts record

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Caio Magalhaes Caio may refer to: * Caio (name), a Portuguese given name derived from the Latin given name Gaius * Caio, Carmarthenshire, a village in west Wales * ''Caio'' (moth), a genus * Italian destroyer ''Caio Duilio'', a destroyer of the Italian Navy Se ...

, Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 91 - Swain vs. Nuertiebieke , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Middleweight debut , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 , Marcus Vanttinen , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 82 - Vanttinen vs. Zayats , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 , Aaron Rosa , Submission (kimura) , Bellator 103 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 , Emanuel Newton , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 94 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, United States , Bellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament Final. , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 , Jacob Noe , Submission (armbar) ,

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West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and an inner suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Utah after Salt Lake City. The city inco ...

, United States , Bellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 ,

, TKO (spinning back fist and punches) , Bellator 85 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:49 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

, United States , Bellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Marcin Elsner , Submission (guillotine choke) , Abu Dhabi Warriors 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:44 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Mathias Schuck , Decision (unanimous) , Cup of Peresvet , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Alexei Varagushin , TKO (punches) , League S-70: Russian Championship Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Bogdan Savchenko , Submission (guillotine choke) , IMAT: Third Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Juha Saarinen , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Cage 18: Turku , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:36 ,

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, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 ,

, TKO (head kick and punches) , M-1 Challenge 27: Magalhaes vs. Zayats , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:13 ,

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, United States , For the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Malik Merad , TKO (punches) , M-1 Challenge 25: Zavurov vs. Enomoto , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:49 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , David Tkeshelashvili , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

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, 12–5 , Matias Baric , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 21: Guram vs. Garner , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Toni Valtonen , Submission (armbar) , Fight Festival Goes Kaisaniemi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , Robert Jocz , TKO (punches) , BOTE: Chahbari vs. Souwer , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 ,

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Lee Sang-Soo , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 20: 2009 Finals , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 , Lucio Linhares , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Global: Breakthrough , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Alexandre Machado , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 15: Brazil , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 9–2 , Jae Young Kim , TKO (head kick) , M-1 Challenge 12: USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:02 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , David Haagsma , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Challenge 11: 2009 Challenge Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

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, Netherlands , Won M-1 Challenge GP team. , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Seung Bae Whi , Decision (majority) , M-1 Challenge 9: Russia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Alexei Kalistartov , Submission (armbar) , RMAU: Battle of the Champions 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , John Cornett , Submission (hand injury) , M-1 Challenge 7: UK , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Lucio Linhares , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 4: Battle on the Neva 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Daniel Tabera , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 MFC: Fedor Emelianenko Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

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, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Christophe Daffreville , Decision (unanimous) , M-1: Slamm , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Lukasz Jurkowski , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , M-1 MFC: Battle on the Neva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jin O'Kim , Submission (armbar) , M-1 MFC: Russia vs. Korea , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

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, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Christophe Durant , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 MFC: Mix-Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zayats, Mikhail Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing ARB Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Russian jujutsuka Russian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Russian sambo practitioners 1981 births 21st-century Russian sportsmen