Irkutsk fighters won the main battles of the Siberian Legion

Last Friday, the International Mixed Martial Arts Tournament “Siberian Legion” was held in Irkutsk, in which 10 pairs of athletes took part. A lot of spectators gathered to see the “fights without rules” in the octagon; the Irkutsk Trud Sports Palace was packed to capacity. The fighters, who were brought by the organizers as participants and guests, needed no introduction.

– Such competitions have not been held in Irkutsk for more than six years. The last time in 2018 we held competitions in Angarsk. Our desire is to make the tournaments permanent and large-scale, when the hall is buzzing, the fighting atmosphere is heating up, and the audience will then tell their friends and family that they were at such a cool sports tournament. For us, this is not a commercial story; we invest all our partners’ money in holding tournaments and shows, and transferring fighters. Not only athletes, but also spectators miss such tournaments,” Konstantin Klimov, President of the Russian Pankration Federation, explains the initiative of the organizers.

Legendary fighters came to Irkutsk – not only to take part in the tournament, but also to hold seminars and workshops in the hall of the Irkutsk Academy of Martial Arts with the participation of beginning athletes.

“We want our sport to be loved, people to come to it, and the fighters to be carried in their arms and considered real heroes, to be honored. We opened a martial arts academy two years ago with the goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle and true values. Our tournament acquired international status; athletes from Armenia, Belarus and Brazil came to us. The hardest thing was to bring Geronimo Dos Santos from Brazil, he flew with five transfers, we coordinated tickets for three weeks. He agreed, like a true professional, to take part in the tournament. “I am very pleased with today,” says Konstantin Klimov.

And before the start of the fights, in the foyer of the Sports Palace, spectators were able to take autographs from 11-time Muay Thai champion Denis Goncharenok and Sergei Kharitonov.

– The tournament was excellent, the audience really reacted to these competitive fights. I am sure that no one remained indifferent, we need to repeat it next year. Everything went at the highest level. I fought in this hall 23 years ago myself – at an army hand-to-hand combat competition. I want to repeat and fight again in Irkutsk. The Irkutsk fighters have very good preparation, I especially remember the fight of Alexei Kim, he was a great fellow. Very artistic and had a very bright fight. These are the kind of fights that decorate tournaments. I think if he takes part in international tournaments, he will have great love from the public,” says Sergei Kharitonov, a Russian mixed martial arts fighter.

The favorite of the Irkutsk public, Alexey Kim, fought for the championship belt with Dastan Mamasadykov from Kyrgyzstan. Already in the first round, a few minutes later, after a series of crushing blows on the ground, the judge stopped the fight and awarded an unconditional victory to Alexey.

– What brought me into sports was the desire to become an athletic person; my idols were Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris, heroes of my time. And I enrolled in the Romanov School. But I didn’t stay there long, I started practicing karate-do, then went into Greco-Roman wrestling, and then into hand-to-hand combat. Gradually my skills developed into pankration, now also called MMA. At that time I already had good success in sports. I fought in a cage in Irkutsk, the audience remembers me, but then such tournaments stopped being held in Irkutsk. Klimov is saving our city and has revived this tournament,” says Alexey Kim, a representative of the Sports Development of the City of Irkutsk team and the head of the Orel martial arts and wrestling club.

The main and most anticipated fight of the evening was the fight between Roman Lukashevich and Geronimo Dos Santos. Even during the weigh-in procedure and the battle of views, a brawl broke out on stage. The fighters began fighting right in the shopping center. The organizers and security managed to separate the fighters, and even then it became clear that the fight would be serious.

While Lukashevich was coming out, the athlete from Brazil was squatting, looking at one point, getting ready for the fight. After the gong, Roman took the initiative in the fight, knocking his opponent to the ground, and then performed a choke hold. The referee stopped the fight. Geronimo at first did not agree that the fight was stopped, but then admitted defeat.

– The end of the fight between Roman Lukashevich and Geronimo Dos Santos was incomprehensible to the audience. We trust the referee, and he said Geronimo was out for a while. We are for the health of the athletes, and the decision was made to stop the fight,” explains Konstantin Klimov.

– The victory was fair. Roman is a worthy opponent. I want to thank Russia for coming here again. And most likely, this was my last professional fight. “I am grateful for the invitation and for this wonderful opponent of the Sports Development of the City of Irkutsk team,” said Geronimo Dos Santos.

Organizers hope to hold the next tournament in early summer.