Misha Cirkunov Explained

Misha Cirkunov
Birth Date:27 February 1987
Birth Place:Riga, Latvia
Residence:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fighting Out Of:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality:Canadian
Height:[1]
Weight:205lb
Weight Class:Middleweight (2021)
Light heavyweight (2010–2021, 2022–present)
Reach:77 in
Team:Xtreme Couture (2010–present)[2]
Rank:Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Years Active:2010–present
Mma Kowin:5
Mma Subwin:8
Mma Decwin:2
Mma Koloss:5
Mma Subloss:3
Mma Decloss:1
Sherdog:59197

Misha Cirkunov ([4] born February 27, 1987), 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 (Oļegs) 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. With no skills in English, Cirkunov struggled in school but continued training judo and also picked up wrestling.

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. After winning the latter championship, Cirkunov became a Canadian citizen. 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. 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.

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]

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 .[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

Mixed martial arts record

|Loss|align=center|15–9|Alonzo Menifield|KO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|1:28|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–8|Wellington Turman|Submission (armbar)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:29|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–7|Krzysztof Jotko|Decision (split)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–6|Ryan Spann|TKO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|1:11|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|15–5|Jimmy Crute|Submission (peruvian necktie)| ||align=center|1|align=center|3:38|Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada||-|Loss|align=center|14–5|Johnny Walker|TKO (flying knee and punches)|UFC 235||align=center|1|align=center|0:38|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|14–4|Patrick Cummins|Submission (arm-triangle choke)|||align=center|1|align=center|2:40|Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada||-|Loss|align=center|13–4|Glover Teixeira|TKO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|2:45|Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada||-|Loss|align=center|13–3|Volkan Oezdemir|KO (punch)|||align=center|1|align=center|0:28|Stockholm, Sweden||-|Win|align=center|13–2|Nikita Krylov|Submission (guillotine choke)|UFC 206||align=center|1|align=center|4:38|Toronto, Ontario, Canada||-|Win|align=center|12–2|Ion Cuțelaba|Submission (arm-triangle choke)|||align=center|3|align=center|1:22|Ottawa, Ontario, Canada||-|Win|align=center|11–2|Alex Nicholson|Submission (neck crank)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:28|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|10–2|Daniel Jolly|KO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|4:45|Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada||-|Win|align=center| 9–2|Shaun Asher|Submission (armbar)|Hard Knocks 43||align=center|1|align=center|1:20|Calgary, Alberta, Canada||-|Win|align=center| 8–2|Rodney Wallace|TKO (head kick)|Hard Knocks 41||align=center|1|align=center|2:00|Calgary, Alberta, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 7–2|Martin Desilets|Submission (inverted triangle choke)|PFC 2||align=center|1|align=center|2:36|London, Ontario, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 6–2|Jon Ganshorn|Submission (armbar)|Fivestar FL 9: Northern Nightmare||align=center| 1|align=center| 1:59|Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada||-| Loss|align=center| 5–2|Aaron Johnson| Submission (heel hook)|King of the Ring VI||align=center|1|align=center|2:11|Norcross, Georgia, United States||-| Win|align=center| 5–1|Ali Mokdad| Decision (unanimous)|Score Fighting Series 3||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Sarnia, Ontario, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 4–1|Ion Cherdivara| Decision (unanimous)|Knockout Entertainment - MMA: The Reckoning||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Orillia, Ontario, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 3–1|Ricardeau Francois| TKO (punches)|Ultimate Generation Combat 26||align=center|1|align=center|0:56|Montreal, Quebec, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 2–1|Shawn Pauliuk| Submission (punches)|Armageddon FC 3: Evolution||align=center|1|align=center|0:57|Victoria, British Columbia, Canada||-| Loss|align=center| 1–1|Roy Boughton| Submission (armbar)|Warrior One MMA 5||align=center|2|align=center|2:33|Montreal, Quebec, Canada||-| Win|align=center| 1–0|Jeff Doyle| TKO (punches)|Ringside MMA 5: Triple Threat||align=center|1|align=center|0:40|Montreal, Quebec, Canada||-[49]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fight Card - UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson. UFC.com. February 6, 2016.
  2. Web site: Cirkunov Inks Two Fight Deal with Armageddon. Sean McManus. March 3, 2010. topmmanews.com.
  3. Web site: Misha Cirkunov UFC. UFC.com. 14 September 2018 . October 5, 2021.
  4. Web site: Latvijas cīkstonis Mihails Cirkunovs UFC debitē ar uzvaru . 2024-11-02 . www.delfi.lv . lv.
  5. Web site: MISHA CIRKUNOV: THE HOMECOMING. Arden Zwelling. sportsnet.ca.
  6. Web site: Toronto MMA fighter Misha Cirkunov aims to take UFC by storm. July 12, 2015. torontosun.com. Chris Doucette.
  7. Web site: Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2008 . 2023-05-08 . IBJJF.com.
  8. Web site: Welcome to the UFC Misha Cirkunov. Simon. Zane. bloodyelbow.com. June 15, 2015.
  9. Web site: UFC Fight Night in Saskatoon gets Sean O'Connell-Misha Cirkunov light heavyweight bout. sherdog.com. Tristen Crichfield. 2015-07-06. 2015-07-06.
  10. Web site: Daniel Jolly replaces Sean O'Connell, meets Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night Saskatoon. sherdog.com. Tristen Crichfield. 2015-08-13. 2015-08-13.
  11. Web site: UFC Fight Night 74 results: Misha Cirkunov dominates Daniel Jolly in UFC debut. Fowlkes. Ben. MMAjunkie. August 23, 2015.
  12. Web site: Misha Cirkunov meets 205-pound newcomer Alex Nicholson at UFC Fight Night 82 in Las Vegas. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2016-01-06. 2016-01-06.
  13. Web site: UFC Fight Night Medical Suspensions: Seven Fighters Facing Potential 6-Month Layoffs. Sherdog. February 8, 2015.
  14. Web site: Listen to Misha Cirkunov pop Alex Nicholson's jaw and his post-fight reaction. Stupp. Dan. MMAjunkie. February 7, 2016.
  15. News: Multiple fight bookings made official for UFC Fight Night 89. themmareport.com. Staff. 2016-03-29. 2016-03-29.
  16. Web site: UFC Fight Night 89 results: Misha Cirkunov taps Ion Cutelaba with third-round arm-triangle choke. mmajunkie.com. Steven Marrocco. 2016-06-18. 2016-06-18.
  17. Web site: Cirkunov will battle Krylov at UFC 206 . Ken Rodney . tsn.ca . 2016-10-06 . 2016-10-06.
  18. Web site: UFC 206 results: Misha Cirkunov stays perfect in UFC, chokes out Nikita Krylov in first. mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 2016-12-10. 2016-12-10.
  19. Web site: Acting as his own manager, Misha Cirkunov details roller-coaster contract negotiations with UFC. Shaun al-Shatti. mmafighting.com. 2017-03-15.
  20. Web site: With new deal in tow, Misha Cirkunov meets Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2017-03-13. 2017-03-13.
  21. Web site: UFC Fight Night 109 results: Volkan Oezdemir stuns Misha Cirkunov with quick one-punch KO. mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 2017-05-28. 2017-05-28.
  22. News: Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov booked for UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo . mmafighting.com. MMA Fighting Newswire. 2017-08-05. 2017-08-05.
  23. News: Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov moved to UFC on FOX 26. mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz. 2017-09-12. 2017-09-13.
  24. News: UFC on FOX 26 results: Glover Teixeira pounds out Misha Cirkunov in first. 2017-12-17. MMAjunkie. 2017-12-17. en-US.
  25. News: Canadian Cirkunov to fight at UFC Fight Night in Moncton. tsn.ca.com. Aaron Bronsteter. 2018-08-07. 2018-08-07.
  26. News: UFC Moncton results: Misha Cirkunov submits Patrick Cummins in opening round. MMA Fighting. 2018-10-28.
  27. News: Ovince Saint Preux to fight Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee. 2019-01-03. 2019-01-03.
  28. Web site: Ovince Saint Preux out of UFC 235 fight with Misha Cirkunov. 2019-02-10. mmajunkie. Staf. 2019-02-10.
  29. Web site: Johnny Walker replaces Ovince Saint Preux vs. Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235. mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz. 2019-02-12. 2019-02-12.
  30. Web site: UFC 235 results: Johnny Walker scores quick finish of Misha Cirkunov, injures himself celebrating. 2019-03-03. MMA Junkie. en. 2019-03-04.
  31. Web site: Misha Cirkunov vs. Jimmy Crute Added to UFC Vancouver. Fortune. Ryan. 2019-06-17. Cageside Press. en-US. 2019-06-18.
  32. Web site: UFC Vancouver results: Misha Cirkunov hands Jimmy Crute his first defeat with rare Peruvian necktie submission. Damon. Martin. MMA Fighting.com. September 14, 2019. September 14, 2019.
  33. Web site: Official UFC Vancouver bonuses: Tristan Connelly earns FOTN honors in upset over Michel Pereira. Dan Hiergesell. 2019-09-14. MMAmania.com. 2019-09-14.
  34. Web site: Cirkunov vs Spann, Eubanks vs Kianzad added to UFC Vegas 17 on Dec. 19. mmamania.com. Adam Guillen Jr.. 2020-11-17. 2020-11-18.
  35. Web site: Updates to December 19 UFC Fight Night. ufc.com. Staff. 2020-12-05. 2020-12-05.
  36. Web site: Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann re-booked for March 13 UFC card. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee. 2021-02-18. 2021-02-18.
  37. Web site: Doherty. Dan. 2021-03-13. UFC Vegas 21 Results: Ryan Spann Finishes Misha Cirkunov Quickly. 2021-03-14. Cageside Press. en-US.
  38. Web site: Hannoun. Farah. 2021-08-17. Misha Cirkunov moves down to middleweight, meets Krzysztof Jotko at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2. 2021-08-17. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  39. Web site: Anderson. Jay. 2021-10-02. UFC Vegas 38 Results: Krzysztof Jotko Goes Distance Against Misha Cirkunov, Spoils His Middleweight Debut. 2021-10-03. Cageside Press. en-US.
  40. Web site: Critchfield. Tristen. 2021-12-01. Misha Cirkunov vs Makhmud Muradov added to UFC Fight Night lineup on Feb. 26. 2021-12-01. Sherdog.com. en-US.
  41. Web site: Makhmud Muradov says he's out of UFC Fight Night 202 vs. Misha Cirkunov. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Staff. 2022-01-27. 2022-01-27.
  42. Web site: 2022-01-28. Turman valt in voor Muradov tegen Cirkunov tijdens UFC Vegas 49. 2022-01-28. Eurosport. nl.
  43. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2022-02-26 . UFC Vegas 49: Misha Cirkunov Taps to Wellington Turman Arm-Bar . 2022-02-27 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  44. Web site: Tkaczuk . Michał . 2022-06-17 . Były rywal Michała Oleksiejczuka wróci w sierpniu do klatki UFC MMAROCKS . 2022-06-18 . MMA Rocks! . pl-PL.
  45. Web site: Романчук . Владислав . Российский боец Шамиль Гамзатов покинул UFC, несмотря на запланированный бой . 2022-08-04 . www.championat.com . ru.
  46. Web site: 2022-08-18 . Misha Cirkunov vs. Alonzo Menifield agregado a UFC Vegas 62 . Steve Duncan. 2022-08-18 . mma.uno . es.
  47. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2022-10-15 . UFC Vegas 62: Alonzo Menifield Overpowers Misha Cirkunov, Earns Quick Finish . 2022-10-15 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  48. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2022-10-31 . Halloween Horror! Nine More Fighters Removed from UFC Roster . 2022-11-01 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  49. Web site: Misha Cirkunov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com. Sherdog.com. Sherdog. 2019-09-14.

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