Sasha Palatnikov

Sasha Palatnikov (born March 15, 1989) is an [4]American mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently competes in Karate Combat.

Sasha Palatnikov
Born (1989-03-15) March 15, 1989
British Hong Kong
NationalityAmerican[1]
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach72 in (183 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
TeamWarrior Academy (until 2019)
Syndicate MMA (2019–present)[3]
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins8
By knockout4
By decision4
Losses5
By knockout2
By submission3
UniversityUniversity at Buffalo
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Palatnikov, the son of a Russian father, who was a professional high diver, and a Scottish mother, was born and raised in Hong Kong but spent many summers in Brooklyn as a kid, specifically Brighton Beach. Due to this, he has a conversational level of knowledge in Cantonese. His parents put him in Karate at the age of five. He started playing rugby at the age of six and would train Muay Thai and boxing in the off seasons. He played rugby professionally, but due to an injury, decided to retire and go pursue an education.[4]

Sasha was the Hong Kong Heavyweight Amateur Boxing Association Champion in 2012, wanting to represent Hong Kong at Olympic qualifiers but due to politics and the fact that he was not ethnically Chinese, he was prohibited from doing so.[4][5]

Sasha also spent time in the United States and Canada throughout his college career, studying and playing American football and rugby at Concordia University, Hudson Valley Community College, and the University of Buffalo, graduating with a communications degree and minored in computer science.[4] During this time he also obtained a US citizenship from his time studying.[1]

In 2014, Palatnikov was sentenced to a 2-year prison sentence by the Hong Kong District Court for a robbery in 2013. The incident occurred when Sasha was helping a South African citizen recover a HK$10,000 debt from an Australian man. HK$70,000 in cash was stolen after the pair forced their way into his flat. At the time, Sasha was a computer programmer who was described as "a straight-A student" and excellent rugby player, claimed he had agreed to help his friend in what he thought would be a purely verbal confrontation with the Australian. Dawson, the Australian, was kicked and punched by the South African while being held by Palatnikov, the court heard.[6] After serving 16 months, Palatnikov was released in 2015.[7]

Within a month of his release, Palatnikov went to the Philippines to compete in a jiu-jitsu competition, then moved to Florida to train at the Blackzilians team gym in Boca Raton.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After making his debut in 2017, losing to Emmanuel Verdier via TKO in the second round at Fight Time 36, in 2018, he returned to Hong Kong with his girlfriend, initially just for two weeks on holiday to get his permanent ID renewed. A friend put him in touch with local promotion Just MMA, who asked if he wanted to fight on their upcoming card. He won the bout via knockout in the second round and his opponents manager became his manager as well.[7]

After a one off unanimous decision win against Jeremy Bastian at Combat FC 1 in China, Sasha joined the Angel Fight Championship, where he won his first bout against Jae Young Ahn at AFC 10 on January 28, 2019, via unanimous decision. He then moved up to Middleweight for his next bout in the promotion, winning the AFC Middleweight Championship against Sun Won Son at AFC 12. In the process, Palatnikov became the first Hong Kong-born MMA champion.[8]

Sasha then fought for the UAE Warriors promotion, where he faced fellow future UFC fighter, Mounir Lazzez at UAE Warriors 8. He lost the bout via TKO at the end of the first round.[9]

Palatnikov faced late replacement Paulo Henrique at UAE Warriors 13 in a catchweight bout, winning the bout in the first round.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Palatnikov made his promotion debut against Louis Cosce on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. He won the bout via TKO in the third round.[11] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night awards.[12]

In his sophomore appearance in the organization, Palatnikov faced Impa Kasanganay on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland.[13] He lost the fight via second-round submission.[14]

Palatnikov faced Ramiz Brahimaj on August 21, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum.[15] He lost the fight via technical submission due to a rear naked choke in round one.[16]

On February 10, 2022, it was announced that Palatnikov was released by UFC.[17]

Post UFC

Palatnikov faced Kyron Bowen on April 2, 2022 at XMMA 4.[18] He won the bout via TKO stoppage due to punches and elbows.[19]

Palatnikov faced Joshua Jones on May 20, 2022 at Tuff-N-Uff 128. He won the bout via split decision.[20]

Palatnikov faced Tanner Saraceno at XMMA 5 on July 23, 2022. He lost the bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.[21]

Palatnikov is scheduled to face Francisco Trinaldo at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6 on October 28, 2023.[22]

Karate Combat

Palatnikov signed with Karate Combat on December 17, 2022, winning his debut against Canadian Rob Buxton by knockout in the first round at Karate Combat 37.[23]

Palatnikov next faced Adrian Hadribeaj of Albania at Karate Combat 38 on April 1, 2023, losing by split decision.[24]

Palatnikov faced former karate and kickboxing champion Raymond Daniels at Karate Combat 39 on May 20, 2023, where he lost by unanimous decision.[25]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Karate Combat record
Professional record breakdown
3 matches 1 win 2 losses
By knockout 1 0
By decision 0 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–2 Raymond Daniels Decision (unanimous) Karate Combat 39 May 20, 2023 3 3:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Loss 1–1 Adrian Hadribeaj Decision (split) Karate Combat 38 April 1, 2023 3 3:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Rob Buxton TKO (punches) Karate Combat 37 December 17, 2022 1 2:38 Orlando, Florida, United States

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 8 wins 5 losses
By knockout 4 2
By submission 0 3
By decision 4 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 8–5 Tanner Saraceno Submission (rear-naked choke) XMMA 5 July 23, 2022 3 4:08 Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Win 8–4 Joshua Jones Decision (split) Tuff-N-Uff 128 May 20, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–4 Kyron Bowen TKO (punches and elbows) XMMA 4 April 2, 2022 1 4:03 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Loss 6–4 Ramiz Brahimaj Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum August 21, 2021 1 2:33 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–3 Impa Kasanganay Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland April 10, 2021 2 0:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–2 Louis Cosce TKO (punches) UFC 255 November 21, 2020 3 2:27 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 5–2 Paulo Henrique TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 13 September 25, 2020 1 1:23 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Catchweight (182 lb) bout.
Loss 4–2 Mounir Lazzez TKO (elbows and punches) UAE Warriors 8 October 18, 2019 1 4:48 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 4–1 Sung Won Son Decision (unanimous) AFC 12 June 10, 2019 5 5:00 Seoul, South Korea Won vacant AFC Middleweight Championship. Middlweight bout.
Win 3–1 Jae Young Ahn Decision (unanimous) AFC 10 January 28, 2019 2 5:00 Seoul, South Korea
Win 2–1 Jeremy Bastian Decision (unanimous) Combat FC 1: Inception June 10, 2018 3 5:00 Dingcheng, China
Win 1–1 Seok Hyun Ko KO (punch) Just MMA 3 March 16, 2018 2 1:22 Wan Chai, Hong Kong Welterweight debut.
Loss 0–1 Emmanuel Verdier TKO Fight Time 36 April 7, 2017 2 4:40 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

[26]

See also

References
  1. "UFC: Palatnikov prefers no flag if he can't use Hong Kong's". South China Morning Post. 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  2. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
  3. Nick Atkin (November 17, 2020). "UFC 255: Sasha Palatnikov first fighter to fly Hong Kong flag in the Octagon – 'this was all meant to be'". South China Morning Post.
  4. Vann, Ray (2020-11-20). "UFC 255: The Debut of Sasha Palatnikov | The Wave". The Wave | Rockaway Beach, NY. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  5. "Sasha Palatnikov". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  6. "Former kindergarten teacher jailed for violent robbery of Australian". South China Morning Post. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  7. "Hong Kong MMA prodigy Palatnikov fights for world title – and redemption". South China Morning Post. 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  8. "MMA fighter Palatnikov makes history as first Hong Kong-born champion". South China Morning Post. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  9. Altatis, Conan (2019-10-18). "'UAE Warriors 8' results: Rolando Dy vs Do Gyeom Lee, Mounir Lazzez vs Piotr Danelski". CONAN Daily. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  10. "Hong Kong's Palatnikov reignites UFC dream with UAE Warriors win". South China Morning Post. 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  11. Evanoff, Josh (2020-11-21). "UFC 255 Results: Sasha Palatnikov Upsets Louis Cosce in Thrilling Fight". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  12. "UFC 255 Bonuses: Two Fighters Nab Performance Checks". MMA News. 2020-11-22. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  13. "Impa Kasanganay vs. Sasha Palatnikov toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 10 april". MMA DNA. 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  14. Anderson, Jay (10 April 2021). "UFC Vegas 23 Results: Impa Kasanganay Bounces Back, Submits Sasha Palatnikov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  15. Martin, Damon (2021-05-24). "Sasha Palatnikov vs. Ramiz Brahimaj booked for UFC event on Aug. 21". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  16. Behunin, Alex (2021-08-21). "UFC Vegas 34 Results: Ramiz Brahimaj Puts Sasha Palatnikov To Sleep". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  17. Tabuena, Anton (2022-02-10). "Report: 11 more fighters removed from UFC roster". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  18. "14 former UFC fighters booked for XMMA 4 card in New Orleans". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  19. "XMMA 4 video results, full replay: John Dodson tops Francisco Rivera; Jared Gooden and Kyle Stewart thrive". MMA Junkie. 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  20. "Sasha Palatnikov vs. Joshua Jones, Tuff-N-Uff 128 | MMA Bout". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  21. King, Nolan (2022-07-24). "10 ex-UFC fighters pick up four wins, six losses at XMMA 5". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  22. "12 former UFC fighters added to Jorge Masvidal's Gambred Bareknuckle MMA event". MMA Junkie. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  23. "Highlights! Former UFC Fighter Picks Up TKO Win At Karate Combat 37". MMAmania.com. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  24. "Karate Combat 38: Full results, highlight videos". Bloody Elbow. 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  25. "Karate Combat 39 live stream results, highlights, discussion". Bloody Elbow. 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  26. "Sasha Palatnikov". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
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