M-1 Challenge XXIII marks Yuri ‘Cable Guy’ Ivlev’s return to action after suffering his first loss in seven outings. Over a two year span, the Legion Fight Team warrior was proving to be unstoppable until he collided with Daniel Weichel this past October. Healed up and ready for action, the crafty, heavy-handed striker with exceptional submission skills looks to dispose of Mairbek Taisumov and jump-start his climb into title contention. Fans worldwide can catch the lightweights face-off, starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST, Saturday March 5th on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com).
A product of the Legion Fight Team and training with notables Ansar Chalangov and Magomed ‘The Eagle’ Shikshabekov, it’s little wonder why Russian lightweight Yuri Ivlev has made more than ripples on route to an impressive 14-6 record. Possessing what many claim as Olympic-level judo and world-class sambo skills, Ivlev has been outclassing opponents time and time again with abilities seeming to improve exponentially with every round clocked.
With a mass of early submission victories, Ivlev has earned the reputation of being one of Europe’s most-feared submission technicians. What stands out most about Ivlev are his spectacular hip tosses that he transitions into joint-jacking submissions; they’re as smooth as silk and had HDNet calling his victory over Carlos Valeri as one of the top submissions of 2008. As an always-improving fighter, Ivlev has evolved his game with the addition of an incredible striking arsenal enabling him to successfully close out seven of his last eight victories with heavy-handed, one-punch knockouts or devastating ground and pound.
With his flashy techniques, awesome suplexes, fluid spinning high kicks and will-breaking G&P, Yuri Ivlev is a marketable fighter with ‘Eddie Alvarez-esque’ celebratory back-flips. Without a doubt, Ivlev has Taisumov in his sites and is aiming to cause havoc inside the ring for the Chechen Republic fighter. With both men eager to clamour up the contention ladder, this battle between two furious and relentless lightweights is bound to be a barn-burner.
