When a fighter stumbles in his career, whether early on or later, the Red Devil Sports Club, home to mixed martial arts superstar Fedor Emelianenko, is where weakness in one’s game is corrected. As a developing Russian fighter with a promising career, Alexei Nazarov calls the training academy in St. Petersburg home and is taking the proper measures in preparation for his middleweight fight against Alexei Belyaev at M-1 Challenge XXI: Guram vs. Garner on October 28th.
With a record of 6-3, Nazarov was able to get back to his winning ways with a first-round, arm bar submission victory over Christian Vuapi at M-1 Global Battle on the Neva River IV back in August; the win halted a two-loss skid and was evidence that his training camp was focussed on developing a much stronger ground game.
Although losing his professional debut against Kiril Sukhomlinov at M-1 Challenge IX in 2008, Nazarov rebounded and went on a five-fight unbeaten streak demolishing Artur Korchemny, Dmitry Surnev, Anatoly Lavrov, Magomedsalam Kaynurov and Pasha Bamatov in the early rounds; riding high, the streak came to end as he suffered decision losses to Shamil Nurmagomedov and Rashid Magomedov.
Stepping up a weight class for the tilt and being considered a small middleweight by North American standards, Nazarov is proving that he can stand with competition dispite the size difference. With a tight, sound defence on the feet, this talented prospect prefers to keep his bouts standing in order to exercise his strengths and deliver heavy precision striking and stinging leg kicks. His teammates at the Red Devil Sports Club will need to work Nazarov through submission and ground sessions in order to elevate his proficiency and give him more confidence on the canvass, an area where he has been known to leave himself exposed to unnecessary punishment.
Alexei Nazarov is regaining the momentum he had built and will have his hands full with Alexei Belyaev on October 28th; should he come out the victor, he’ll be anxiously looking to use his next bout to catapult him further up the contender’s ladder and set his sites on the three welterweight top-dogs and 2010 Selections champions: Abner Lloveras, Shamil Zavurov and Tom ‘Da Tank’ Gallicchio.