Матч! Боец: Aslambek Ilyasovich Idigov vs. Sergey Anatolyevich Gorokhov RBR

Tokaev gets a whole video package with glossy production, set in an old timey village with him in medieval Vainakh costume and then a sword fight with some guy (debt collector, from what I can gather from the set-up of the scene) that was bullying an old man.

For his debut. Weird. Assuming he's a domestically famous big deal, then, either from the amateurs or crossing over from MMA or something? Perhaps a strongman? Russians and especially Chechens do love those.

 

Ah, well that was embarrassingly quick to uncover (first Google hit on his name ) - Tokaev is an actor and successful Muay Thai kickboxer. ISKA oriental rules HW champ in 2010.

Oh, and his real name is Theodore Sariyev. He used the name "Bahadir Sari" when kickboxing and based in Turkey, and now for his pro boxing career is using the made-up moniker Turpal Tokaev.

...so, Sariyev is what I'll be calling him.

 

1-0 Sariyev

 

Skobenko has only been stopped twice - and that was by Apti Daptaev and Evgeny Romanov in the 6th and 7th respectively, so ...no reason to assume he'll crumble within four rounds here. They obviously want Sariyev to log some flight time and get his minutes in.

 

For what poor shape he's in, Skobenko is surprisingly elusive. Very light on his toes, bouncing around, rotating his stance and showing different angles. The kind of that guy that looks as though he was peeled off a bar stool but is somehow kind of athletic.

 

OMG how nauseating. Ramzan Kadyrov - president of Chechnya, mad tyrant, huge combat sports fanboy - runs from the crowd and jumps on the ring apron reaching over the ropes to give Sariyev's biceps and shoulders a deep and uncomfortably long massage with both hands, practically hopping in place giddily with an ear to ear grin while shouting encouragement.


Dude is so flamingly gay for salt-and-pepper bearded man-meat, but oh, the alacrity with which he would whip out a Kalashnikov and execute any of his citizens that dared utter the remotest suggestion of such a thing..

 

Theodore Sariyev/Bahadir Sari/Turpal Tokaev gets his first W in pro boxing, by UD.

...and proceeds to leave the ring and join his bro Kadyrov onstage for an ~intimate~ warm embrace.

 

Magomed Delimkhanov vs. Marat Irshatovich Khuzeev, 4 rounds @ middleweight

 

Khuzeev walks out to "Can't Be Touched" by Roy Jones Jr., which I guess is what they fall back on as generic default music over there for anyone that doesn't bring their own entrance theme...sort of like Gonna Fly Now from Rocky or All of the Lights by Kanye in the USA, or 7 Nation Army by the White Stripes in the UK.

(for anyone that doesn't know, RJJ is a mega-celebrity in Russia, like god-tier, far beyond his stature at home where, in the mainstream, he's actually largely forgotten outside diehard boxing circles)

 

Delimkhanov's debut... the second of seven of those taking place here today.

 

Had to go #2...it appears Delimkhanov won. I wasn't overly impressed by the few minutes of him I saw. (Lots of straight bow and arrow combos, leaving wide space between his arms and lowering the non-punching glove when firing, and some winged hooks in close, smothering himself.)

...nor of his aggressive fist-pumping and screaming takbir of "ALLAHU AKBAR" in his victory speech. Scary levels of fanaticism in his eyes there. That's the sort of lad you can convince to strap a bomb to his chest.

 

Imam Abdulaevich Khatayev vs. Ismat Bahman Oglu Eynullayev, 4 rounds @ cruiserweight

 

@Ivan28 @ShovelHook where you at - ya boy's up.

For the unaware, Khataev fought in the Summer Games in Tokyo a few months ago, taking only a bronze medal but impressing many.

 

Yeah, well, if you missed the summons - then, never mind. That didn't last very long.

Khataev stalked Eynullayev feinting jabs and scored body shots, made him spit out his gum shield for which the Azerbaijani was docked a point, only for Khataev to crowd him into a corner headhunting with a two-fisted hooking assault prompting the referee to halt the contest just over two minutes in. Eynullayev was kind of blocking what he could and you could argue since he was 'intelligently defending' himself it was a questionable stoppage - but his body language was that of someone that was frightened into defeat just moments after the bell, from his first taste of Khataev's power.

 

What?!

Somehow in amongst twenty pro bouts on the card, they're squeezing in one featuring amateurs. First kid walking out with headgear to 7 Nation Army (....) and the second - accompanied by a big entourage, without headgear on - gets a hype package with LOTS of Muhammad Ali highlights, for some reason.

I'm very confused what this is. Exhibition?