Ali Shamilevich Bagautinov vs. Ruslan Mikhailovich Provodnikov RBR

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...how's that for a clarion roll-call?

 

Ali "The King Puncher" Bagautinov is 22-7 in pro MMA with 6 victories by KO and 5 by submission. He is also 2-0 in pro boxing (competing in 2013 and not again until 2020) and 3-0 in the world combat sambo championships.

Ruslan "The Siberian Rocky" Provodnikov last fought in 2016, losing a UD to fellow come-forward brawler John Steven Molina Junior. This capped off a 3-4 run in the last four years of Provodnikov's professional campaign.

The pair was actually supposed to meet originally in 2018 after Bagautinov called his countryman out, and they're finally getting it on nearly four years later. I'm not sure whether this is to be an exhibition or a sanctioned pro bout.

There is a card listed in Moscow on BoxRec, although neither of these combatants are named on the bill. Could be a mixed boxing & MMA or pro & exhibition show. Either way, I'll be tuning in with morbid fascination. If the Bagautinov vs. Provodnikov summit is an exhibition, then David Arturovich Gladun vs. Chaloemporn Sawatsuk for the vacant WBO light heavyweight Oriental title is the 'main event' of the pro boxing portion of the card. It starts airing live on Матч TV from 20:00 MSK (noon EST).

 

Denis Lebedev has gone on record predicting that his buddy Provodnikov will outfight but probably not stop Bagautinov.

 

The programming guide for the channel broadcasting this does list it under the subheadings "boxing" and "MMA", which doesn't help narrow things down much.

They also have some hilarious translations of movie titles on their website...remember that Reese Witherspoon classic, "Blonde In Law"?

Or this year's Clint Eastwood directorial effort, "Men's Tears"?

I've gotta say though, "Conjuration III: By the Will of Satan" would have been a better title for that one. Sounds like a sick metal album.

 

Alright, this craziness is underway.

 

Dmitry Bivol doing color commentary.

 

They're showing clips of Provo beating JLC, seven years ago. That's pretty damn far to have to dig in the archives for highlights.

 

Then some various clips of Bagautinov doing various combat sports. Meh. He looks so-so in a boxing ring, and more suited to grappling on the mat than striking on his feet.

 

This is apparently the co-feature. They keep alternating between showing this graphic and the Bagautinov vs. Provodnikov one:

https://i.ibb.co/jZ5xsH6/cofeature.jpg

I can't automatically transliterate Cyrillic in my head, so kind of lost on who these guys are. Does anybody else recognize them by sight or have any Russian literacy?

 

Alexander "Mikhail Bufferov" Zagorsky in the house!

 

The other I can make out is "Leonardo" something. And that's a Brazilian flag behind him. But that doesn't help ring any bells for me.