Misha Cirkunov
Mikhail "Misha" Cirkunovs | |||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Photo by Todd Prescott | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Mikhail Cirkunovs[1] (1987-02-27) February 27, 1987 (age 37) Riga, Latvia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Canadian | ||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Division | Middleweight (2021) Light heavyweight (2010–2021, 2022–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reach | 77 in (196 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fighting out of | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
Team | Xtreme Couture (2010–present)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 2010–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By knockout | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By submission | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By decision | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By knockout | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By submission | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By decision | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mikhail Cirkunovs[1] (born February 27, 1987), better known as Misha Cirkunov, is a Latvian and Canadian professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Son of Oleg and Olga, Cirkunov was born in Riga, Latvia (then under Soviet occupation) 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
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Jimmy Crute[33]
Mixed martial arts record
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
- ^ a b Mixed martial arts show results Date: March 13, 2021
- ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson". UFC.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ Sean McManus (March 3, 2010). "Cirkunov Inks Two Fight Deal with Armageddon". topmmanews.com.
- ^ "Misha Cirkunov | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Arden Zwelling. "MISHA CIRKUNOV: THE HOMECOMING". sportsnet.ca.
- ^ a b c Chris Doucette (July 12, 2015). "Toronto MMA fighter Misha Cirkunov aims to take UFC by storm". torontosun.com.
- ^ "Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2008". IBJJF.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ Simon, Zane (June 15, 2015). "Welcome to the UFC Misha Cirkunov". bloodyelbow.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Fowlkes, Ben (August 23, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 74 results: Misha Cirkunov dominates Daniel Jolly in UFC debut". MMAjunkie.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night Medical Suspensions: Seven Fighters Facing Potential 6-Month Layoffs". Sherdog. February 8, 2015.
- ^ Stupp, Dan (February 7, 2016). "Listen to Misha Cirkunov pop Alex Nicholson's jaw and his post-fight reaction". MMAjunkie.
- ^ Staff (2016-03-29). "Multiple fight bookings made official for UFC Fight Night 89". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ken Rodney (2016-10-06). "Cirkunov will battle Krylov at UFC 206". tsn.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2016-12-10). "UFC 206 results: Misha Cirkunov stays perfect in UFC, chokes out Nikita Krylov in first". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ Shaun al-Shatti (2017-03-15). "Acting as his own manager, Misha Cirkunov details roller-coaster contract negotiations with UFC". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Staff (2017-03-13). "With new deal in tow, Misha Cirkunov meets Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 results: Volkan Oezdemir stuns Misha Cirkunov with quick one-punch KO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ MMA Fighting Newswire (2017-08-05). "Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov booked for UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2017-09-13). "Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov moved to UFC on FOX 26". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
- ^ "UFC on FOX 26 results: Glover Teixeira pounds out Misha Cirkunov in first". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
- ^ Aaron Bronsteter (2018-08-07). "Canadian Cirkunov to fight at UFC Fight Night in Moncton". tsn.ca.com. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ "UFC Moncton results: Misha Cirkunov submits Patrick Cummins in opening round". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (2019-01-03). "Ovince Saint Preux to fight Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ^ Staf (2019-02-10). "Ovince Saint Preux out of UFC 235 fight with Misha Cirkunov". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2019-02-12). "Johnny Walker replaces Ovince Saint Preux vs. Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- ^ "UFC 235 results: Johnny Walker scores quick finish of Misha Cirkunov, injures himself celebrating". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
- ^ Fortune, Ryan (2019-06-17). "Misha Cirkunov vs. Jimmy Crute Added to UFC Vancouver". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- ^ Martin, Damon (September 14, 2019). "UFC Vancouver results: Misha Cirkunov hands Jimmy Crute his first defeat with rare Peruvian necktie submission". MMA Fighting.com. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Adam Guillen Jr. (2020-11-17). "Cirkunov vs Spann, Eubanks vs Kianzad added to UFC Vegas 17 on Dec. 19". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ Staff (2020-12-05). "Updates to December 19 UFC Fight Night". ufc.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (2021-02-18). "Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann re-booked for March 13 UFC card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ Doherty, Dan (2021-03-13). "UFC Vegas 21 Results: Ryan Spann Finishes Misha Cirkunov Quickly". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-10-02). "UFC Vegas 38 Results: Krzysztof Jotko Goes Distance Against Misha Cirkunov, Spoils His Middleweight Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Critchfield, Tristen (2021-12-01). "Misha Cirkunov vs Makhmud Muradov added to UFC Fight Night lineup on Feb. 26". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- ^ Staff (2022-01-27). "Makhmud Muradov says he's out of UFC Fight Night 202 vs. Misha Cirkunov". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ "Turman valt in voor Muradov tegen Cirkunov tijdens UFC Vegas 49". Eurosport (in Dutch). 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-26). "UFC Vegas 49: Misha Cirkunov Taps to Wellington Turman Arm-Bar". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ Tkaczuk, Michał (2022-06-17). "Były rywal Michała Oleksiejczuka wróci w sierpniu do klatki UFC | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ Романчук, Владислав. "Российский боец Шамиль Гамзатов покинул UFC, несмотря на запланированный бой". www.championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Steve Duncan (2022-08-18). "Misha Cirkunov vs. Alonzo Menifield agregado a UFC Vegas 62". mma.uno (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-10-15). "UFC Vegas 62: Alonzo Menifield Overpowers Misha Cirkunov, Earns Quick Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-10-31). "Halloween Horror! Nine More Fighters Removed from UFC Roster". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Misha Cirkunov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-09-14.