Vitaly Minakov is undoubtedly one of the most powerful Russian heavyweights in the history of mixed martial arts. In addition to his Bellator heavyweight title, he was also a four-time world champion in sport sambo and a master of sport in judo and freestyle wrestling. With such a strong foundation in wrestling and grappling and experience, he made his debut in mixed martial arts. At the same time, he began mastering striking techniques and, characteristically, the majority of his victories in his illustrious career have come via knockout.
Today, we will see his fight against the two-meter-tall Spanish heavyweight Juan Espino, a former Spanish champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and European champion in Muay Thai.
Their meeting took place in 2011 at an S-70 league tournament. After this fight, the Spaniard would retire for a long time, but after a six-year hiatus, he would return to mixed martial arts, rack up a string of victories, win Season 28 of The Ultimate Fighters, and sign with the UFC. Vitali, meanwhile, would go on a monumental winning streak that would lead him to the Bellator championship belt.

#Knockout #Minakov #Sambo