Damkovsky Returns to Action at M-1 Ukraine European Battle
May 26, 2011
(PRESS RELEASE) -- After losing his lightweight title to Jose
Figueroa in a one-sided beating, Artiom Damkovsky (8-5) returns on
a quest to clamor back into title contention; the Belorussian
officer’s first roadblock to his ultimate goal is the versatile
submission specialist, Yuri Ivlev (16-7). The pair of talented
fighters meet as a special attraction bout at the M-1 Ukraine
European Battle on Saturday June 4th. Fans can capture the action
from inside the National Circus Arena in Kiev starting at 11am EST
/ 8am PST via LIVE streaming telecast on the official M-1 Global
website (www.M-1Global.com) and M-1 Global facebook fan page
The 25 year old Belarusian captured the inaugural M-1 Lightweight Championship bout with a victory over Mairbek Taisumov at M-1 Challenge XXI, one of the card’s most exciting battles and later named as M-1’s Most Exciting Fight of 2010; Damkovsky weathered a first-round storm to comeback and punish Taisumov in the third with jumping knees and outside leg-kicks. While trying to fend off the relentless attack, Taisumov took an unintentional finger to the eye which the ringside physician deemed enough to warrant a stoppage and declaring Damkovsky the victor. Unable to defend his title against Figueroa, the loss marked his defeat in six outings
Since making his professional debut against Vladimir Ermolaev at
Shooto Belarus – Bushido in July 2006, Damkovsky struggled through
adversity early in his career as he continued to develop his
talents; his turn around came with a victory against Hiroyuki Abe
and he hadn’t looked back since, creating a run that capped off
2010 with incredible performances through the 2010 Eastern Europe
M-1 Selection tournament. His ‘Cinderella story’ torrent through
the brackets included back-to-back-to-back decisions, marking
Damkovsky’s battles as the toughest passes to championship status
across the tournament brackets in any region.
Inside the gruelling tournament structure, Damkovsky showcased an incredible combination of power, speed and skill that he uses effectively to wear out his opponents. He possesses a keen awareness for ring positioning which enables him to unleash stinging leg kicks and spinning back-fists and to engage in taunting cat-and-mouse counters; with an innate ability to take down his opponents with ease, it’s not uncommon for Damkovsky to put his opponents on the ground just to stand back up to his feet as if to say ‘I can take you down any time. Now get up and let’s go.’
No matter where this fight goes, Damkovsky is in for a fight against an opponent with more experience fighting tougher competition. The former lightweight champ will need be wary of Ivlev’s striking and submission arsenals while mounting his offensives off effective counter punching; ironically, Damkovsky needs to prepare a game plan for a long drawn out battle that will likely not go to the judges.
LIVE broadcast coverage of the M-1 Ukraine European Battle will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) and M-1 Global facebook fan page starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.
The 2011 European M-1 Selection tournament second quarterfinal round will be held July 16th, 2011; entitled Battle on the Neva River 5, the event will hail seaside in St. Petersburg, Russia.
M-1 Global is now in full-swing preparation for its fourth mega-event of 2011 scheduled for Friday July 8th from inside the United States. M-1 Challenge XXVI is headlined with undefeated, #1 Ranked heavyweight prospect Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) putting his belt on the line for the second time against decorated American wrestler, Pat Bennett (4-2). In co-main event action, newly crowned Lightweight Champion, Jose Figueroa (10-4) makes his first title defense against feared German submission specialist, Daniel Weichel (26-7).
‘Guram is Coming’ video teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3XJgJfI9L8&feature=youtu.be
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments held throughout Europe and North America in 2011.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Guram Gugenishvili, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.
M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.
The 25 year old Belarusian captured the inaugural M-1 Lightweight Championship bout with a victory over Mairbek Taisumov at M-1 Challenge XXI, one of the card’s most exciting battles and later named as M-1’s Most Exciting Fight of 2010; Damkovsky weathered a first-round storm to comeback and punish Taisumov in the third with jumping knees and outside leg-kicks. While trying to fend off the relentless attack, Taisumov took an unintentional finger to the eye which the ringside physician deemed enough to warrant a stoppage and declaring Damkovsky the victor. Unable to defend his title against Figueroa, the loss marked his defeat in six outings
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Inside the gruelling tournament structure, Damkovsky showcased an incredible combination of power, speed and skill that he uses effectively to wear out his opponents. He possesses a keen awareness for ring positioning which enables him to unleash stinging leg kicks and spinning back-fists and to engage in taunting cat-and-mouse counters; with an innate ability to take down his opponents with ease, it’s not uncommon for Damkovsky to put his opponents on the ground just to stand back up to his feet as if to say ‘I can take you down any time. Now get up and let’s go.’
Although only 5’8”, Damkovsky possesses a substantial reach and its
clear this talented prospect understands how to effectively use
this advantage. Being able to sit back and counter with explosive,
powerful striking comparable to a welterweight, the Belarusian has
shown to be extremely tactical in his game plan and apt in his
defence; he’s also proven to critics that he has a durable chin
capable of taking the heaviest of shots and then continue on
relentlessly.
No matter where this fight goes, Damkovsky is in for a fight against an opponent with more experience fighting tougher competition. The former lightweight champ will need be wary of Ivlev’s striking and submission arsenals while mounting his offensives off effective counter punching; ironically, Damkovsky needs to prepare a game plan for a long drawn out battle that will likely not go to the judges.
LIVE broadcast coverage of the M-1 Ukraine European Battle will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) and M-1 Global facebook fan page starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.
The 2011 European M-1 Selection tournament second quarterfinal round will be held July 16th, 2011; entitled Battle on the Neva River 5, the event will hail seaside in St. Petersburg, Russia.
M-1 Global is now in full-swing preparation for its fourth mega-event of 2011 scheduled for Friday July 8th from inside the United States. M-1 Challenge XXVI is headlined with undefeated, #1 Ranked heavyweight prospect Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) putting his belt on the line for the second time against decorated American wrestler, Pat Bennett (4-2). In co-main event action, newly crowned Lightweight Champion, Jose Figueroa (10-4) makes his first title defense against feared German submission specialist, Daniel Weichel (26-7).
‘Guram is Coming’ video teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3XJgJfI9L8&feature=youtu.be
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments held throughout Europe and North America in 2011.
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
About M-1 Global:
Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Guram Gugenishvili, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.
M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.
