A Russian special forces officer fought a professional MMA fighter and German amateur boxing champion - and the bout was interesting to say the least.
Being part of the military is one thing, but very few personnel make it to the special forces.
For decades, Russia has been known for the strength of its armed forces with their special forces known as the Spetsnaz among the top operators around the world.
Their training is brutal and designed to push both mental and physical limits in individuals.
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According to Sofrep.com, Spetsnaz training is comprised of forced marches, long-range marksmanship, underwater combat, diving, counter-terrorism and hand-to-hand combat, just to name some of the gruelling tests soldiers must undertake.
So, if a person manages to pass the training, it’s fair to say they are fairly tough.
But how do their skills translate when up against a professional fighter?
Well, Russia’s Maxim Yakobyuk put this to the test when he fought an amateur German boxing champion, Frank Kortz, back in 2018.
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Ahead of the MMA bout - hosted in Moscow on the card of M-1 Challenge 88: Tutarauli vs. Ismagulov - the Russian boasted a record of 1-0-0 while his German opponent had won six and lost four of his ten MMA contests.
Both men looked huge while standing in the Octagon before their bout, with Yakobyuk standing at six feet three inches. Kortz was slightly smaller at six feet one inch, as reported by Tapology.
After the bell, the heavyweight duo wasted no time and quickly exchanged blows with Yakobyuk landing a sharp kick to his German opponent’s leg within the first ten seconds of the fight.
The Russian dominated round one of the bout and managed to take down Kortz before landing several ground-and-pound punches, which drew blood from the Hamburg native.
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Round two followed a similar pattern as the away fighter tried but failed to land many telling blows on his opponent, who grew in confidence with every passing moment. Kortz appeared exhausted as he limped back to his corner following the conclusion of round one.
Around two minutes into round two, Yakobyuk landed a nasty combination of punches before Kortz dropped to the ground, where the Russian dished out yet more punishment.
With the German seemingly unable to cope and defend himself, the referee stopped the contest with less than one minute of round two left.
So, it’s fair to say Russian special forces training lends itself well to hand-to-hand combat, even if it’s against a seasoned fighter.
Luke Davies