Misha Cirkunov

Mikhail Cirkunovs[1] (born February 27, 1987), better known as Misha Cirkunov is a Latvian-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Mikhail "Misha" Cirkunovs
Photo by Todd Prescott
BornMikhail Cirkunovs[1]
(1987-02-27) February 27, 1987
Riga, Latvia
ResidenceToronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
DivisionMiddleweight (2021)
Light heavyweight (2010–2021, 2022–present)
Reach77 in (196 cm)
Fighting out ofToronto, Ontario, Canada
TeamXtreme Couture (2010–present)[3]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins15
By knockout5
By submission8
By decision2
Losses9
By knockout5
By submission3
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's Submission Wrestling
Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2008 California -97.5kg
ADCC North American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Wayne -99kg

Background

Son of Oleg and Olga, Cirkunov was born in Riga, Latvian SSR in 1987.[5] In his childhood, Cirkunov was active in various sports like swimming, basketball, judo and karate.[6] Growing up, Cirkunov dabbled into dubious circles which prompted the family to emigrate to Toronto, Ontario, when he was 13.[5] With no skills in English, Cirkunov struggled in school but continued training judo and also picked up wrestling.[5]

Cirkunov won junior nationals in judo in 2003, Greco-Roman wrestling national championship in 2005 and national championships in freestyle wrestling in 2005 and 2006.[5] After winning the latter championship, Cirkunov became a Canadian citizen.[5][6] After graduating from high school Cirkunov found Brazilian jiu-jitsu, briefly relocating to Las Vegas to train but returned to Canada to open his own gym.[5] In 2008, Cirkunov won the black belt super heavy division at the Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship.[7] After the unsuccessful venture as a gym owner, he started training at an Xtreme Couture satellite gym in Etobicoke.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cirkunov made his professional debut in January 2010 and amassed a record of 9–2 before signing a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the summer of 2015.[8][6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Cirkunov was expected to make his promotional debut against Sean O'Connell on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74.[9] O'Connell withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by Daniel Jolly.[10] Cirkunov defeated Jolly via first-round KO after achieving full mount and battering him when he turned his back.[11]

Cirkunov faced promotional newcomer Alex Nicholson on February 6, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 82.[12] Cirkunov submitted Alex Nicholson via a second-round neck crank, breaking both sides of his jaw in the process, after earlier breaking his nose.[13] At the post-fight press conference, he told reporters, "I’m just really happy with the performance and especially – not just the submission – but I was able to break his jaw. I’m impressed."[14]

Cirkunov next faced another promotional newcomer in Ion Cuțelaba on June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89.[15] He won the fight via submission in the third round.[16]

Cirkunov faced Nikita Krylov on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206.[17] He won the fight via submission in the first round.[18]

In March 2017, Cirkunov signed a new, six-fight deal with UFC and fought Volkan Oezdemir on May 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 109.[19][20] He lost the fight via knockout in just 28 seconds of the very first round.[21]

Cirkunov was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119.[22] However, the pairing was delayed after a recent hand surgery for Teixeira was slow to heal and the bout eventually took place on December 16, 2017, at UFC on Fox 26.[23] Cirkunov lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[24]

Cirkunov faced Patrick Cummins on October 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 138.[25] He won the fight by submission in the first round via an arm triangle choke.[26]

Cirkunov was expected to face Ovince Saint Preux on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235.[27] However, on February 11, it was announced that Saint Preux suffered an injury and was pulled from the fight.[28] Cirkunov instead faced Johnny Walker.[29] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[30]

Cirkunov faced Jimmy Crute on September 14, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 158.[31] He won the back-and-forth fight via a Peruvian necktie submission in the first round.[32] The win also earned Cirkunov his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[33]

Cirkunov was expected to face Ryan Spann on December 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 183.[34] However, Cirkunov pulled out in early December due to an injury.[35] The fight was rescheduled to March 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 187.[36] Cirkunov lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[37]

Cirkunov faced Krzysztof Jotko in a middleweight bout on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193.[38] He lost the fight via split decision.[39]

Cirkunov was scheduled to face Makhmud Muradov on February 26, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 202.[40] However, Muradov pulled out in late January due to a hand injury[41] and he was replaced by Wellington Turman.[42] Cirkunov lost the fight via armbar in the second round.[43]

After two straight losses at Middleweight, Misha was scheduled to return to Light heavyweight against Shamil Gamzatov on August 6, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill.[44] However, Gamzatov was unable to obtain a US visa and the bout was scrapped.[45]

Cirkunov faced Alonzo Menifield on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212.[46] He lost the fight via knockout in round one.[47]

In late October 2022, it was reported that Cirkunov was released by the UFC.[48]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
24 matches 15 wins 9 losses
By knockout 5 5
By submission 8 3
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 15–9 Alonzo Menifield KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo October 15, 2022 1 1:28 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Light Heavyweight.
Loss 15–8 Wellington Turman Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green February 26, 2022 2 1:29 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 15–7 Krzysztof Jotko Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker October 2, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Middleweight debut.
Loss 15–6 Ryan Spann TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad March 13, 2021 1 1:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–5 Jimmy Crute Submission (peruvian necktie) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje September 14, 2019 1 3:38 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Performance of the Night.
Loss 14–5 Johnny Walker TKO (flying knee and punches) UFC 235 March 2, 2019 1 0:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–4 Patrick Cummins Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith October 27, 2018 1 2:40 Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Loss 13–4 Glover Teixeira TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos December 16, 2017 1 2:45 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Loss 13–3 Volkan Oezdemir KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira May 28, 2017 1 0:28 Stockholm, Sweden
Win 13–2 Nikita Krylov Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 206 December 10, 2016 1 4:38 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 12–2 Ion Cuțelaba Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson June 18, 2016 3 1:22 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Win 11–2 Alex Nicholson Submission (neck crank) UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson February 6, 2016 2 1:28 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Daniel Jolly KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira August 23, 2015 1 4:45 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win 9–2 Shaun Asher Submission (armbar) Hard Knocks 43 May 22, 2015 1 1:20 Calgary, Alberta, Canada Defended the HKFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 8–2 Rodney Wallace TKO (head kick) Hard Knocks 41 January 30, 2015 1 2:00 Calgary, Alberta, Canada Won the HKFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 7–2 Martin Desilets Submission (inverted triangle choke) PFC 2 March 8, 2014 1 2:36 London, Ontario, Canada
Win 6–2 Jon Ganshorn Submission (armbar) Fivestar FL 9: Northern Nightmare September 7, 2013 1 1:59 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Loss 5–2 Aaron Johnson Submission (heel hook) King of the Ring VI March 17, 2012 1 2:11 Norcross, Georgia, United States
Win 5–1 Ali Mokdad Decision (unanimous) Score Fighting Series 3 December 3, 2011 3 5:00 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Win 4–1 Ion Cherdivara Decision (unanimous) Knockout Entertainment - MMA: The Reckoning April 2, 2011 3 5:00 Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Win 3–1 Ricardeau Francois TKO (punches) Ultimate Generation Combat 26 March 4, 2011 1 0:56 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 2–1 Shawn Pauliuk Submission (punches) Armageddon FC 3: Evolution July 17, 2010 1 0:57 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Catchweight (210 lb) bout.
Loss 1–1 Roy Boughton Submission (armbar) Warrior One MMA 5 June 19, 2010 2 2:33 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 1–0 Jeff Doyle TKO (punches) Ringside MMA 5: Triple Threat January 30, 2010 1 0:40 Montreal, Quebec, Canada

[49]

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: March 13, 2021
  2. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson". UFC.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  3. Sean McManus (March 3, 2010). "Cirkunov Inks Two Fight Deal with Armageddon". topmmanews.com.
  4. "Misha Cirkunov | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  5. Arden Zwelling. "MISHA CIRKUNOV: THE HOMECOMING". sportsnet.ca.
  6. Chris Doucette (July 12, 2015). "Toronto MMA fighter Misha Cirkunov aims to take UFC by storm". torontosun.com.
  7. "Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2008". IBJJF.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  8. Simon, Zane (June 15, 2015). "Welcome to the UFC Misha Cirkunov". bloodyelbow.com.
  9. Tristen Crichfield (2015-07-06). "UFC Fight Night in Saskatoon gets Sean O'Connell-Misha Cirkunov light heavyweight bout". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  10. Tristen Crichfield (2015-08-13). "Daniel Jolly replaces Sean O'Connell, meets Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night Saskatoon". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  11. Fowlkes, Ben (August 23, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 74 results: Misha Cirkunov dominates Daniel Jolly in UFC debut". MMAjunkie.
  12. Staff (2016-01-06). "Misha Cirkunov meets 205-pound newcomer Alex Nicholson at UFC Fight Night 82 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  13. "UFC Fight Night Medical Suspensions: Seven Fighters Facing Potential 6-Month Layoffs". Sherdog. February 8, 2015.
  14. Stupp, Dan (February 7, 2016). "Listen to Misha Cirkunov pop Alex Nicholson's jaw and his post-fight reaction". MMAjunkie.
  15. Staff (2016-03-29). "Multiple fight bookings made official for UFC Fight Night 89". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  16. Steven Marrocco (2016-06-18). "UFC Fight Night 89 results: Misha Cirkunov taps Ion Cutelaba with third-round arm-triangle choke". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
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  25. Aaron Bronsteter (2018-08-07). "Canadian Cirkunov to fight at UFC Fight Night in Moncton". tsn.ca.com. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
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  29. Guilherme Cruz (2019-02-12). "Johnny Walker replaces Ovince Saint Preux vs. Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
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  33. Dan Hiergesell (2019-09-14). "Official UFC Vancouver bonuses: Tristan Connelly earns FOTN honors in upset over Michel Pereira". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
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  38. Hannoun, Farah (2021-08-17). "Misha Cirkunov moves down to middleweight, meets Krzysztof Jotko at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
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  43. Anderson, Jay (2022-02-26). "UFC Vegas 49: Misha Cirkunov Taps to Wellington Turman Arm-Bar". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
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  45. Романчук, Владислав. "Российский боец Шамиль Гамзатов покинул UFC, несмотря на запланированный бой". www.championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  46. Steve Duncan (2022-08-18). "Misha Cirkunov vs. Alonzo Menifield agregado a UFC Vegas 62". mma.uno (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  47. Anderson, Jay (2022-10-15). "UFC Vegas 62: Alonzo Menifield Overpowers Misha Cirkunov, Earns Quick Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  48. Anderson, Jay (2022-10-31). "Halloween Horror! Nine More Fighters Removed from UFC Roster". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
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