Nick Maximov (born December 23, 1997) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

who competed in the

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 beg ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

Starting out with karate and taekwondo at the age of 11, he then took on jiu-jitsu. Maximov wrestled while in high school, having a very successful run on the Chico High wrestling team, with 137 wins against 37 losses. He would continue wrestling while attending college, first wrestling for

Clackamas Community College Clackamas Community College (CCC) is a public community college in Oregon City, Oregon. Founded in 1966, it is one of the largest community colleges in the state of Oregon. Clackamas Community College offers courses at three campuses: the cent ...

and, briefly, at

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees through all 11 of the universit ...

, earning All-American honors during his second season at Clackamas Community College. Through an introduction through his father being friends with a training partner of the Diaz brothers, Nick started training at Nate Diaz Academy in Stockton.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Making his MMA professional debut at KOTC Terminal Velocity, he defeated Nick Piecuch via TKO in the first round, followed by a second round kimura at Hard Fought Championships 1 against Bruno Casillas. He would go on to defeat William Hope via TKO in round one at Iron Pit Promotions High Desert Brawl 14, before picking up a rear-naked submission in the first round at KOTC Return to Order. Maximov faced Johnny James Jr. at LFA 91. He won the bout via rear-naked choke in the second round. Maximov was scheduled to face Matheus Scheffel in a Light Heavyweight bout at Dana White's Contender Series 36 on November 17, 2020. However, Scheffel pulled out of the bout and was scheduled at Heavyweight against Oscar Cota, who also had his opponent pull out. He won the fight via unanimous decision, however wasn't awarded a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2021, it was announced that Maximov had signed with the UFC. Maximov was scheduled to make his UFC debut against

Karl Roberson Karl Roberson (born October 4, 1990) is an American former kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and education Raised in Neptune Township, New Jersey. Rober ...

on September 25, 2021, at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. However, due to medical issues Roberson was forced to withdraw from the event and he was replaced by promotional newcomer

Cody Brundage Cody Brundage (born May 16, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Brundage was an accomplished high school wrestler at Chapin High School in Chapin ...

. Maximov won his debut via unanimous decision. In his sophomore performance, Maximov faced

Punahele Soriano Punahele Soriano (born November 22, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2017, he has also fought in the PFL and Titan FC. Background As ...

on February 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 200. He won the fight via split decision. 12 out of 16 media scores gave it to Maximov. Maximov faced

Andre Petroski Andre Petroski (born June 12, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Having wrestled since he was four years old, Petroski was a three-time state qu ...

at UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić on May 14, 2022. Maximov lost the bout after getting choked out in the first round via an

anaconda choke Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between their own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, whic ...

submission. Maximov faced

Jacob Malkoun Jacob Malkoun (born August 26, 1995) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background At the age of 16, Malkoun started training in martial arts after his father p ...

on October 15, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 212 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In late October 2022, it was reported that Maximov was released by the UFC.

Post-UFC Career

In his first fight since leaving the UFC, Maximov faced TUF 23 veteran Elias Urbina at Fury FC 95 on August 2, 2024. He would win the fight via submission in the first round.

Professional Fighters League

On April 12, 2025, it was announced that Maximov signed with

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

and he was scheduled to making his PFL debut against Khalid Murtazaliev in a alternate bout on April 18, 2025, at PFL 3. However, the bout was removed from the event after Maximov withdrew.

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maximov, Nick 1997 births Living people American people of Russian descent American people of Albanian descent American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male karateka American male taekwondo practitioners American male sport wrestlers Clackamas Cougars wrestlers Oregon State Beavers wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American sportsmen