Russian fighter Alexander Emelianenko appointed Islam Makhacheva the best Russian mixed-style fighter in 2023, and also included Eduard Vartanyan and Alexander Shlemenko in the top three.
The first number in the UFC rankings, regardless of weight categories, the lightweight champion of the organization Makhachev, has 25 victories and one defeat. This year, Makhachev beat Australian Alexander Volkanovski twice.
Vartanyan (25-4) won the ACA Lightweight Grand Prix in 2023 and is now trying to find a job in the UFC. Former Bellator middleweight champion Shlemenko has scored 63 wins with 15 losses and one draw. In 2023, Shlemenko won two victories in MMA in fights with Alex Oliveira and Alexander Ilic, and also defeated Yasubi Enomoto in kickboxing. Until 2023, Shlemenko last won in MMA in October 2021.
— My top Russian fighters in 2023 are as follows. With first place, everything is obvious and you don’t even need to think about it. Islam Makhachev. Simply open the UFC rankings regardless of weight categories. I will put Vartanyan in second place, he has revived his career. Won the Grand Prix in a very competitive weight class and competitive ASA league. I made attempts to move towards my dreams. Well, you won’t believe it, I will put Alexandra Shlemenko in third place. Everyone wrote him off too late. And in the rematch, Shlemenko showed that he can be in excellent shape when he cares about himself and his career, and not about everything else in the world,” Alexander Emelianenko told .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
