Vitaly Minakov

Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov (Russian: Виталий Викторович Минаков; born February 6, 1985, Bryansk) is a Russian mixed martial artist, sambist and judoka currently competing in the heavyweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion. A professional competitor since 2010, he has also competed for M-1 Global and Fight Nights Global. He is currently ranked #13 in the world at heavyweight by Sherdog.

In this Eastern Slavic name, the patronymic is Viktorovich and the family name is Minakov.
Vitaly Minakov
Виталий Минаков
BornVitaly Viktorovich Minakov
(1985-02-06) February 6, 1985
Bryansk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nickname(s)The New Emperor
NationalityRussian
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Weight249 lb (113 kg; 17.8 st)[2]
DivisionHeavyweight (265 lb)
Reach78 in (198 cm)
StyleSambo, Judo, Freestyle Wrestling
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofBryansk, Russia
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S
TeamFight Nights Team
Jackson Wink MMA Academy
Rank1st Razryad Grand Master in Sambo
Black belt in Judo
Master of Sports in Freestyle Wrestling
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins22
By knockout13
By submission7
By decision2
Losses1
By decision1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's Sambo
Representing  Russia
World Championships
2008 St. Petersburg+100 kg
2009 Thessaloniki+100 kg
2010 Tashkent+100 kg
2011 Vilnius+100 kg
Russian Sambo Championships
2008 Moscow+100 kg
2009 Dmitrov+100 kg
2010 Yaroslavl+100 kg
2011 Vyksa+100 kg
2013 Khabarovsk+100 kg

2012 Olympics

Because Vitaly is a numerous Sambo World Champion and a Junior Russian National Champion in Judo, he considered competing at the 2012 Olympics in London. It is unknown why he didn't make the team.

Mixed martial arts career

MMA career

Minakov made his professional MMA debut in November 2010. He is a Sambo World Champion, (2008–2011).

Minakov defeated UFC and Bellator veteran Eddie Sanchez on June 7, 2012 at Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 7. He won via KO in the first round.

Minakov defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and UFC veteran Fabiano Scherner on September 17, 2012 at Fight Nights - Battle of Desne. He won via KO in the first round.

Bellator MMA

In June 2012, Minakov was signed in Bellator.[3]

He made his debut the following fall at Bellator 79 on November 2, 2012. He defeated a Moldavian National Champion & Judo Black Belt [4] Vladimir Starcencov via TKO in the second round to win his Bellator and North American debut.

Minakov faced Ron Sparks on June 19, 2013 in the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal.[5] He won in the first round by technical knockout.

Minakov faced Ryan Martinez at Bellator 97 in the finals on July 31, 2013. He got the TKO victory via punches in the third round, after he took Martinez down and secured full mount.

Minakov faced and defeated Alexander Volkov on November 15, 2013 at Bellator 108 to win the Bellator Heavyweight Championship.

Minakov faced Bellator Season 9 Heavyweight Tournament winner Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on April 4, 2014.[6] He won via unanimous decision to retain the Bellator Heavyweight Championship.

Minakov was stripped of his Bellator MMA title on May 14, 2016 due to inactivity.[7]

Post-Bellator

After leaving Bellator MMA, Minakov returned to fight in his native Russia, under Fight Nights Global promotion. He fought seven times since July 2015 and won all seven of his bouts by finishes.

Return to Bellator

On August 23, 2018 it was revealed that Minakov and his management team had reconciled with Bellator and reached an agreement for a new contract.[8]

In his return, Minakov faced Cheick Kongo in a rematch at Bellator 216 on February 16, 2019.[9] He lost the fight via unanimous decision, marking his first professional loss in MMA.[10]

Minakov was to face Javy Ayala at Bellator 225 on August 24, 2019.[11] However, on the day of the fight, it was announced that Ayala was pulled from the bout due to undisclosed medical reasons. Minakov instead faced Tim Johnson.[12] Minakov won the bout via first round knockout.

Minakov was re-scheduled to meet Ayala at Bellator 232 on October 26, 2019.[13] However, Minakov was unable to obtain visa for the bout, leading to Ayala being pulled from the card also.[14]

Championships and accomplishments

Martial Arts
  • Global-MMA
    • Global-MMA Fighter of the Year 2013.

Sambo

Judo
  • Russian Judo Federation[17]
    • 2006 Russian U23 Championships: 1st place
    • 2005 Russian U23 Championships: 3rd place
    • 2004 Russian U20 Championships: 2nd place

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
23 matches 22 wins 1 loss
By knockout 13 0
By submission 7 0
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 22–1 Timothy Johnson KO (punches) Bellator 225 August 24, 2019 1 1:45 Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Loss 21–1 Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 216 February 16, 2019 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 21–0 Tony Johnson TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 82: Minakov vs. Johnson December 16, 2017 2 0:38 Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 20–0 Antônio Silva KO (punches) Fight Nights Global 68: Pavlovich vs. Mokhnatkin June 2, 2017 2 1:37 St. Petersburg, Leningrad oblast, Russia
Win 19–0 DJ Linderman KO (punches) Fight Nights Global 59: Minakov vs. Linderman February 23, 2017 3 3:09 Khimki, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 18–0 Peter Graham Submission (armbar) Fight Nights Global 50: Fedor vs. Maldonado June 17, 2016 1 1:01 St. Petersburg, Leningrad oblast, Russia
Win 17–0 Josh Copeland Submission (kimura) Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 20 December 11, 2015 2 2:50 Moscow, Moscow oblast, Russia
Win 16–0 Geronimo dos Santos Submission (armbar) Fight Nights Global: Dagestan September 25, 2015 1 3:14 Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia Openweight bout.
Win 15–0 Adam Maciejewski TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global: Sochi July 31, 2015 1 0:20 Sochi, Krasnodar krai, Russia
Win 14–0 Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 115 April 4, 2014 5 5:00 Reno, Nevada, United States Defended the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship. Later stripped of the championship following a contract dispute.
Win 13–0 Alexander Volkov TKO (punches) Bellator 108 November 15, 2013 1 2:57 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.
Win 12–0 Ryan Martinez TKO (punches) Bellator 97 July 31, 2013 3 4:02 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States
Win 11–0 Ron Sparks KO (punches) Bellator 96 June 19, 2013 1 0:32 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 10–0 Vladimir Starcencov TKO (punches) Bellator 79 November 2, 2012 2 0:27 Rama, Ontario, Canada
Win 9–0 Fabiano Scherner TKO (punches) Fight Nights: Battle of Desne September 17, 2012 1 3:51 Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast, Russia
Win 8–0 Eddie Sanchez KO (punch) Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 7 June 7, 2012 1 1:59 Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 7–0 Karol Celinski TKO (corner stoppage) Faxe Forward Challenge 2: Russia vs. Latvia April 14, 2012 1 0:55 Riga, Vidzeme, Latvia
Win 6–0 Ivan Frolov Submission (guillotine choke) AntMMA: Ultimate Fighting of Bryansk June 29, 2011 1 0:45 Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast, Russia
Win 5–0 Juan Espino TKO (punches) League S-70: Sambo 70 vs. Spain April 21, 2011 1 0:09 Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 4–0 Valery Scherbakov Submission (armbar) M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky December 10, 2010 1 1:05 Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 3–0 Vitalii Yalovenko Decision (unanimous) M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Finals July 22, 2010 3 5:00 Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Win 2–0 Alexander Zubachov Submission (rear-naked choke) Sambo-70/M-1 Global: Sochi Open European Championships July 14, 2010 1 0:27 Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Win 1–0 Ruslan Kabdulin Submission (armbar) M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Round 2 April 10, 2010 1 4:19 Kiev, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine

See also

References
  1. "Fighter Bio - Vitaly Minakov - Bellator MMA". bellator.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  2. "Vitaly Minakov". sherdog.com. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. "Minakov Signing in Bellator". mmafightcorner.com. June 14, 2012.
  4. "Vladimir Starcencov, Judoka, JudoInside". Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  5. "Judo Master at Bellator 96". tapology.com. May 19, 2013.
  6. Staff (2014-01-17). "Vitaly Minakov vs. Cheick Kongo title fight slated for Bellator 115". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
  7. John Morgan (2015-05-14). "Bellator cuts lightweight champ Will Brooks, strips heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov". mmajunkie.com.
  8. Steven Marrocco (August 23, 2018). "Ex-champ Vitaly Minakov re-signs with Bellator as potential title challenger". mmajunkie.com.
  9. Staff (February 16, 2019). "MVP vs. Daley". www.bellator.com.
  10. Dave Doyle (February 16, 2019). "Bellator 216 results: Cheick Kongo gets unanimous decision nod over Vitaly Minakov". www.mmafighting.com.
  11. Simon Head (July 30, 2019). "Bellator 225 co-headliner set with ex-heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov vs. Javy Ayala". mmajunkie.com.
  12. "Javy Ayala out of Bellator 225 co-headliner; Tim Johnson steps in to fight Vitaly Minakov". MMA Junkie. August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  13. Ken Pishna (September 23, 2019). "Vitaly Minakov vs. Javy Ayala signed for Bellator 232". mmaweekly.com.
  14. "Bellator 232: Vitaly Minakov's fight with Javy Ayala canceled due to visa issue". mmajunkie.com. October 22, 2019.
  15. Mike Bohn (August 25, 2019). "Bellator 225 post-event facts: History made with 14 fights and 14 finishes". mmajunkie.com.
  16. "Виталий Минаков". Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  17. Vitaly Minakov at JudoInside.com
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