Pavel Vitruk vs. Sergey Morozov Added to M-1 Challenge 64 Card

M-1 Global, Russia’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, announced Thursday morning the addition of a bantamweight showdown to its M-1 Challenge 64 card, as Pavel Vitruk will lock horns with Sergey Morozov in a 135-pound eliminator.

Vitruk, who is stuck in the midst of a two-fight losing streak, has opted to drop from featherweight down to 135 pounds to change his fortunes. The Ukrainian suffered decision defeats to Lee Morrison and Max Coga in 2015; he had won his previous 12 bouts.

On the flip side, Morozov has only fought four times as a pro, but he’s yet to taste defeat. The Kazakhstani grappler has stopped everybody he’s faced, either by submission or knockout. He last competed at M-1 Challenge 59 last July, when he hammered Andy Young out in the second with a spinning backfist and follow-up punches.

The winner will face the eventual victor of a soon-to-be-announced second bantamweight eliminator bout; those two winners will then tango for the vacant 135-pound title.

M-1 Challenge 64 is slated to be headlined by the vacant M-1 heavyweight championship between promotional newcomer Alexander Volkov and Denis Smoldarev. The co-featured attraction will see M-1 Challenge lightweight champ Mansour Barnaoui defending his crown against Artiom Damkovsky.

M-1 Challenge 64 will be held at the Olympic Sports Complex on Feb. 19 in Moscow. The event will be streamed live on M1Global.TV.