Breaking Down Taisumov vs. Ivlev
Headed into M-1 Challenge XXIII on Saturday March 5th, Mairbek ‘Beckan’ Taisumov and Yuri ‘Cable guy’ Ivlev share the same site set on the lightweight title spotlight. To clamour up the contention ladder, one warrioir has to dispose of an extremely tough opponent. A win over Ivlev puts Taisumov back in immediate contention while Ivlev gets into the sniff for the belt with a win over Taisumov. Fans 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).
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.
Training with notables Ansar Chalangov and Magomed ‘The Eagle’ Shikshabekov, it’s little wonder why Ivlev has made more than ripples on route to building 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 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.
Taisumov, a highly-talented, 23 year old, M-1 lightweight veteran and Chechen Republic native, moved to the Czech Republic to train with the GFC Team. Born with the genetics gifting him phenomenal speed and athleticism, Taisumov has continually displayed impressive stand-up skills and an always improving ground game; this young athlete is developing into an impact fighter in an incredibly deep 155-pound weight class.
Since debuting in 2007, this promising young striker has racked up an impressive 13-3 record thanks to his highly effective stand-up skills and phenomenal footwork, which enables him to glide effortlessly around the canvass as he stalks and maintains superior offensive positioning. He has an impressive striking arsenal from both in close and outside, his hand speed is lightning quick and he cocks a heavy overhand right that can be unleashed in a split second should his opponent drop his hands. Combine this lethal striking power with well guarded defensive skills and the ability to release stinging leg and body kicks and rib-cracking knees at will and you have the technical blueprint for Taisumov’s methodically sound performances.
‘Beckan’s’ background in freestyle wrestling reveals excellent reaction time, quick hips and an effective sprawl but he’ll need to continue working on his takedown defense in order to acclimate himself in the North American game should. But when in position to take opponents to the ground, Taisumov is equipped with an aggressive ground and pound where is able to unleash precision punches and hammer fists to finish a bout. With back-to-back-to-back first round finishes over Petr Cajnak, Julien Boussuge and Sergey Adamchuk, Taisumov put on a striking and submission clinic to win the 201 M-1 Selection Western Europe lightweight tournament. His meteoric run came to a halt last October as he suffered a tough loss to Artiom Damkovsky in M-1 Global’s first-ever lightweight title fight.
Shrugging off the loss and getting back to action with a first-round demolition of Ivica Truscek, Taisumov finds himself back near the top of the lightweight food chain and set to face Yuri Ivlev; ‘Beckan’ will look to put victory at his beckon call as he trudges forward with the goal of earning another shot at the coveted championship belt.
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, these warrior’s fighting styles matchup perfectly and are set to cause havoc inside the ring. With both men eagerly pursuing a shot at the 155-pound title, this battle between two furious and relentless lightweights is bound to be a barn-burner.
