Best Combat Sambo Fighters in History

Combat SAMBO is not as popular in MMA as wrestling or other martial arts. This is mainly because the sport lacks global reach and has fewer athletes competing at the highest level. But make no mistake: SAMBO works extremely well in MMA. There have been many outstanding fighters with a strong SAMBO foundation over the years.

SAMBO was founded in Russia in the 1920s and has two primary forms. It was one of the first arts to combine techniques from multiple disciplines into a single fighting system. This is why MMA competitors with a SAMBO background are such difficult opponents for anyone.

Here are the top Combat SAMBO fighters in MMA and UFC history.

11. Dennis Siver

Most people know Siver from his loss to Conor McGregor, but he has a lengthy history in the UFC. He joined in 2007, fought 21 times, and won 12. In his prime, Siver was formidable, defeating Charles Rosa and B.J. Penn among others.

Siver began martial arts at an early age, training in SAMBO and Judo before moving on to kickboxing and Taekwondo.

10. Merab Dvalishvili

There is a strong case that Dvalishvili is the Khabib of the 135-pound division. He is an incredible wrestler who can maintain elite pace for the full duration of a match. His SAMBO and Judo background sets him apart from other grapplers on the roster.

He was raised in Georgia and began judo and sambo training young. At 21, he moved to the United States to compete. He placed second at the 2019 World Sambo Championships while also winning two UFC bouts that same year.

9. Blagoy Ivanov

Ivanov is a UFC fighter and former heavyweight champion in the WSOF and PFL, best known for his iron chin. He trained Judo as a child before switching to Combat Sambo.

His win over Fedor Emelianenko at the 2008 World Sambo Championships was the highlight of his combat sports career. He won the world championship that year, then transitioned to MMA, competing in Bellator, PFL, and WSOF before joining the UFC in 2018.

8. Oleg Taktarov

Oleg Taktarov is one of the pioneers of modern mixed martial arts and a well-known actor in Russia. He competed in the early days of MMA before weight classes or time limits existed, and won the UFC 6 title.

A skilled judoka, Taktarov entered MMA as a SAMBO specialist. He may have been the first fighter to demonstrate SAMBO's full potential in the cage, and even trained leg locks with Royce Gracie.

7. Alexey Oleynik

Oleynik is one of the greatest grapplers in MMA history. He was the first fighter to compete consistently against top opponents across four separate decades. His fans call him "The Boa Constrictor" for good reason: he has nearly 50 submission victories.

He holds a master of sport ranking in Combat Sambo, plus black belts in BJJ and Judo. He won the European Sambo title in 2001 and the world title in 2005.

6. Yaroslav Amosov

Amosov is a four-time Combat Sambo world champion and the Bellator 170-pound champion. Unlike many fighters who adapt away from sambo in MMA, Amosov fights exactly as he does on the SAMBO mat: controlling the lead and dominating every position.

He did not start SAMBO until age 15, yet still won four world titles. After going 19-0, he signed with Bellator in 2018 and won the 170-pound title in under three years.

5. Andrei Arlovski

Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion who has competed at the top level for over 20 years. Most fans know him as a powerful striker, but he has a strong sambo background. He started training martial arts at 16 and has continued to compete for decades.

4. Dan Severn

Dan Severn is one of MMA's original pioneers, competing in the 1990s when the sport had almost no rules. His record stands at over 127 fights with 101 victories and 77 finishes. Most fans know him as a wrestler, but he was also skilled in Russian Sambo and Judo.

Severn added Judo while a college wrestler to sharpen his grappling, then competed in Sambo with considerable success. This combination made him one of the most complete fighters of his era.

3. Islam Makhachev

Makhachev is a close friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov and one of the best fighters in the UFC. The two grew up training together in SAMBO and wrestling under Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Like most children in Dagestan, Makhachev began combat sports at an early age. He won the Sambo World title in 2016, then committed fully to MMA. He trained at the AKA gym under Javier Mendez and became the UFC Lightweight Champion.

2. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib is largely credited with making Combat SAMBO famous in MMA. He started with wrestling and Judo, then trained Combat Sambo under his father, who was the national team head coach. He won two world sambo titles and the 2009 Russian championship.

Khabib retired in 2020 as UFC Lightweight Champion, undefeated at 29-0, with two title defences. His famous line "If sambo was easy, it would be called jiu-jitsu" became one of the sport's most quoted moments.

1. Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko is widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. He had a 27-fight winning streak and was considered almost unbeatable for over a decade. His Combat Sambo background was central to his dominance.

Fedor is one of the most decorated SAMBO fighters in the sport's history. His combination of elite ground skills, heavy hands, and real-competition SAMBO technique made him unlike anything MMA had seen before.

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