Shamil Gamzatov vs Misha Cirkunov slated for UFC Vegas 59
We’ve got a very enticing light-heavyweight showdown booked for UFC Vegas 59 between Shamil Gamzatov and Misha Cirkunov.
UFC Vegas 59 is to be headlined by light-heavyweight contenders in former title challenger Thiago Santos (no. 6) and Jamahal Hill (no. 10), and will go down on August 6, 2022, live from the Apex Center in Enterprise, Nevada.
Misha Cirkunov came to the UFC back in August of 2015 with a record of 9-2 as the HKFC light-heavyweight champion, and he quickly went 4-0 inside the octagon, securing four-straight finishes, the latter two over Ion Cutelaba (arm-triangle choke) and Nikita Krylov (guillotine choke).
But, his career has been pretty up-and-down since then, as he then suffered back-to-back knockout defeats to former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir and future, now former UFC light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira.
He’d rebound with a submission (arm-triangle choke) victory over Pat Cummins, before being knocked out by a surging Johnny Walker. Cirkunov followed this up with an incredibly impressive submission (Peruvian necktie) victory over Jimmy Crute, before losing his next outing to Ryan Spann, also being knocked out in that encounter.
Cirkunov then dropped down to 185 lbs, where he suffered back-to-back defeats to Krzysztof Jotko (SD) and fellow BJJ black belt Wellington Turman (armbar). Now he looks to return to his natural division of 205 lbs to take on a Russian prospect with a lot of hype.
Shamil Gamzatov came to the UFC in November of 2019 with a perfect record of 13-0, following a successful (2-0) 2018 season with PFL. Upon arrival, he’d defeat current PFL prospect Klidson Abreu (SD) in a very close encounter, before returning two years later in a losing effort to Michal Oleksiejczuk (TKO) last October.
Both of these talents are incredible grapplers; Cirkunov having won the ADCC North American Championships in 2010, and Gamzatov being a three-time Abu Dhabi grappling tournament winner, as well as a World Grappling Association champion.
Of Cirkunov’s 15 wins (15-8), five come via knockout with eight submissions and two decisions, while of Gamzatov’s 14 wins (14-1), five come via knockout with five submissions and four decisions.
Who comes out of this light-heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 59 on top?
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