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Volk Han

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Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov
Магомедхан Гамзатханов
Born (1961-04-15) April 15, 1961 (age 63)
Anchik, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Other namesVolk Han
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight235 lb (107 kg; 16.8 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
StyleSambo
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofTula, Russia
TeamRussian Top Team
RusFighters Sport Club
Years activeProfessional Wrestling: 1991–1994, 1995–1999,[a] 2001
MMA: 1995–1999,[a] 2000–2001, 2012
Mixed martial arts record
Total30
Wins22
By knockout1
By submission11
By decision3
Unknown7
Losses8
By knockout2
By submission3
By decision2
Unknown1
Notable studentsFedor Emelianenko,[1][2] Karimula Barkalaev[3][4]
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov (Russian: Магомедха́н Аманула́евич Гамзатха́нов; born April 15, 1961), is a Russian retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, sambo wrestler and former military officer of Avar descent. Gamzatkhanov is better known by his ringname Volk Han (Russian: Волк-хан, Japanese: ヴォルク・ハン) and is renowned for his technical mastery of sambo.

Gamzatkhanov represented Russia on the Russian Fighting Network RINGS team with Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Kopylov, Nikolai Zouev and Mikhail Ilyukhin.[5] In the early 1990s Han opened his own martial arts academy, which taught a derivative of combat sambo with special emphasis on flying and spinning joint locks and compression locks applied to upper and lower extremities.[6]

During his tenure in RINGS, Han was considered the promotion's top foreign star[7] and impacted the popularity of martial art Sambo's popularity in Japan.[8][9][10] According to MMA ranking system portal Fight Matrix, Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov was ranked the #10 Heavyweight of 1997.[11][12]

Sambo career

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Magomedkhan was born on April 15, 1961, in the village in the Anchik, Akhvakhsky District of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. He is of Karata ethnicity[13] and was the third child in the family.

Gamzatkhanov started training Freestyle Wrestling while at boarding school. After learning in several teams, his friend Ahmed Sharipov introduced him to the five-time world champion Ali Aliyev, who accepted to train him. Under his tutelage, Gamzatkhanov won the Nalchik regional championship in 1979. He also won the USSR junior championship two years back to back, and placed fourth in the international Aliyev Cup. In 1981, upon beginning his two-year service in the USSR military, Han switched to Sambo, and was immediately scouted by Viktor Lysenko for his team in Tula.

In 1984, Gamzatkhanov attended the Police Academy in Moscow. A year later, he competed in the USSR sambo championship and placed second after losing in the finals to the legendary Alexander Pushnitsa. However, he bounced back by winning the gold medal at the openweight division in 1985, as well as the first place in the USSR championships of 1987 and 1988. He also won the Kalinin international tournament, reserved to the highest practitioners of the sport.[7] In 1991, Gamzatkhanov returned to the USSR championship, but he was again eliminated from the finals, this time by Murat Khasanov.

The same year, he was scouted by Akira Maeda for his professional wrestling promotion Fighting Network RINGS, where he was given the ring name of Volk Han ("Volk" meaning "wolf" and "Han" being short for Magomedkhan).

Professional wrestling career

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In 1991, shortly after the launch of the Japanese martial arts group "Rings", he was scouted by Akira Maeda, the presiding officer, and made his debut in Japan at the fourth Rings tournament held on December 7, the same year. In 1992, Han participated in RINGS's Mega Battle Tournament, but he was eliminated on the first round by Akira Maeda. Despite his loss, the match turned him into an instant fan favourite thanks to his spectacular grappling techniques and charisma, which saw him becoming one of RINGS's main players.[14] In particular, the speed of drawing into the technique in an instant from the unique interval of the heyday and the high accuracy of the technique made the name as a "rare immovable technician".[6]

In addition to the "Russian wolf" associated with his ring name, he was nicknamed "Magician" because of his unique appearance and submission that was described as "like a magic trick." However, he is also good at magic tricks, and when he appeared in a promotion for "Waratte Iitomo!", He showed himself magic tricks. Other than that, outside the ring, he makes jokes and invites laughter to reporters, showing a different side from the image that seems to be cold in the ring.[15]

The next year, after several wins against names like Chris Dolman, Mitsuya Nagai and Willie Williams, Han took part in the next edition, eliminating Masayuki Naruse in the opening round before falling to teammate Nikolai Zouev in the second. Han and Zouev started a heated feud focused around their sambo backgrounds, and it saw Zouev besting Han again in a special sambo jacket match. 1994 was Han's breakout year, as he won the next edition of the Mega Battle Tournament by submitting Williams, Maeda and Hans Nijman, as well as getting his revenge against Zouev in a singles match.

After a lesser but notable participation in the 1995 tournament, in which he was eliminated by Maeda in the semifinals, Han won the 1996 iteration by defeating Naruse, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Tariel Bitsadze and Kiyoshi Tamura. Following an elimination from the 1996 to hands of his own apprentice, Mikhail Illyukhin, Han gave his last great tournament participation in the 1999 edition, which was fought in team format. His team, composed by RINGS Russia members Illyukhin, Sergei Sousserov and Han himself, was pitted against RINGS Holland, formed by Joop Kasteel, Hans Nijman and Dick Vrij. Despite their effort, RINGS Russia was eliminated. Han's last professional wrestling match in RINGS was in 2001, facing legendary catch wrestling expert Yoshiaki Fujiwara in a special match that ended in a draw.

Mixed martial arts career

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After years competing in shoot style professional wrestling, Han switched to mixed martial arts when RINGS adopted the King of Kings (KOK) format in 1999, thus fully transitioning to an MMA promotion. By this time, Han was considered past his athletic prime. Despite this, Han amassed an impressive 8–1 record under RINGS KOK rules.[7][8]

Following a winning debut against RINGS rookie Yasuhito Namekawa, Volk's skills were proven further against American wrestler and Mark Coleman's teammate Branden Lee Hinkle, 12 years his junior. Although Hinkle was able to take Han down and control him, the Russian grappler locked a tight triangle armbar at the end of the first round and made him tap out. Han got a matchup closer in age and experience against Olympic freestyle alumni Zaza Tkeshelashvili in a special Russia vs Georgia fight, but again Han won by submission with a guillotine choke.

In December, Han took part in the King of Kings tournament, where he was pitted in the first round against RINGS England leader Lee Hasdell. The Russian took him down and landed effective strikes before securing position, and also attempted triangle chokes and armbars, but Hasdell's defense was strong. Han resumed using unorthodox ground and pound from the knee-on-stomach position every time the fight hit the ground, but it was in a standing segment where he got the finish, overpowering the British kickboxer with combinations and injuring Hasdell's eye for a TKO victory. In the second round, Volk fought Bobby Hoffman, who came to the bout with a 23–4 record. Hoffman controlled Han for the majority of the fight and tried to perform ground and pound, while Han worked in avoiding damage from the bottom. However, once in overtime, Han took Hoffman down in the corner and stood over him landing punches until the end of the time, winning the decision.

During the semifinals, Han met young star Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and almost half of Volk's age. Despite his disadvantages, the Russian grappler was successful in stopping Nogueira from attempting submissions, even although Nogueira passed his guard and took his back at the end of the first round. When the second round arrived, Han sprawled a takedown and gained his signature knee-on-stomach control, with the Brazilian coming back with a kneebar; the hold was completely extended, but Volk shockingly escaped. After a restart, Han came attacking with a flying Kimura lock which Nogueira answered with an omoplata/ankle hold combination, but he was unable to submit Volk, and the match ended shortly after. Nogueira was given the unanimous decision, eliminating Han from the tournament.[7]

He has been out of competition since February 2002, but will return at the Lithuanian Bushido Association (Lithuania Bushido) convention on November 20, 2004. When Sergei Kharitonov participated in HERO'S on September 17, 2007, he participated as Han's team (CLUB VOLK HAN), and Han himself came to Japan.

Martial arts instruction

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Volk Han has served as the head instructor of the Russian Top Ten team for years, alongside Andrei Kopylov, and has coached names like Fedor and Alexander Emelianenko, Sergei Kharitonov, Karimula Barkalaev[3][4] and two-time world sambo champion Suren Balachinskiy. After the departure of Fedor from RTT, it became public that Han was no longer on good terms with him, although Emelianenko still considers him one of the best in his field [2][page needed]

After martial arts competition

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Other than martial arts, he ran for parliamentary elections in his home country without success. After that, the Russian media was crowded with scandals related to his business.[citation needed]

He also helped in building a mosque in his homeland, the Republic of Dagestan, with the fight money he earned from his RINGS career.

He has been away from the competition since February 2002, but made a brief return at the Lithuanian Bushido Association (Lithuania Bushido) tournament on November 20, 2004.

Currently, he runs a martial arts dojo in his home-town of Tula.

His son, Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov, is a judoka and ranked third in the 2018 World Junior 100 kg class.[16]

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Volk Han is credited into bringing martial art Sambo into Japanese popular consciousness.[citation needed] In fighting games, Volk Han's brand of Command Sambo or Commando Sambo is used by various fictional characters, including Blue Mary from SNK's Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series,[17] Bayman from Dead or Alive series[18] and Dragunov from the Tekken series

Volk Han himself has become a model for many fictitious sambo practitioners in popular media, including Heizo Onikawa from the manga "Tough", Wolf from video game "Battle K-Road" and Preston Ajax from video game Fighting Layer.

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Volk Han's Mixed Martial Arts record.[a]

Professional record breakdown
31 matches 22 wins 8 losses
By knockout 1 2
By submission 11 3
By decision 3 2
Unknown 7 1
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Draw 22–8–1 Masakatsu Funaki Draw (majority) Rings/The Outsider: Volk Han Retirement Match December 16, 2012 1 15:00 Tokyo, Japan Retirement match.
Win 22–8 Zaza Tkeshelashvili Submission (armlock) Rings Lithuania: Bushido Rings 2 May 8, 2001 1 N/A Vilnius, Lithuania RINGS KOK Rules
Win 21–8 Andrei Kopylov Decision (unanimous) Rings Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria April 6, 2001 2 5:00 Ekaterinburg, Russia RINGS KOK Rules
Loss 20–8 Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Decision (unanimous) Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final February 24, 2001 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan RINGS KOK Rules
Win 20–7 Bobby Hoffman Decision (unanimous) Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 2000 3 5:00 Osaka, Japan RINGS KOK Rules
Win 19–7 Lee Hasdell TKO (punches) Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 2000 2 0:08 Osaka, Japan RINGS KOK Rules
Win 18–7 Zaza Tkeshelashvili Submission (guillotine choke) Rings: Russia vs. Georgia August 16, 2000 1 15:46 Tula, Russia RINGS KOK Rules
Win 17–7 Branden Lee Hinkle Submission (triangle armbar) Rings: Millennium Combine 2 June 15, 2000 1 8:11 Tokyo, Japan RINGS KOK Rules
Win 16–7 Cvetko Cvetkov Submission (achilles lock) Rings Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria May 21, 2000 1 N/A Tula, Russia RINGS KOK Rules
Win 15–7 Yasuhito Namekawa Decision (unanimous) Rings Russia: Russia vs. The World May 21, 2000 3 5:00 Yekaterinburg, Russia RINGS KOK Rules
Loss 14–7 Zaza Tkeshelashvili KO Rings: Rings Georgia October 8, 1999 1 7:08 Georgia (country)
Loss 14–6 Zaza Tkeshelashvili Decision (unanimous) Rings: Rise 4th June 24, 1999 3 10:00 Japan
Win 14–5 Masayuki Naruse Submission (armbar) Rings: Rise 3rd May 22, 1999 1 4:26 Japan
Win 13–5 Nikolai Zuyev Submission (arm-triangle choke) Rings: Final Capture February 21, 1999 1 4:49 Japan
Loss 12–5 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Submission (injury) Rings: Third Fighting Integration May 29, 1998 1 10:10 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 12–4 Akira Maeda Submission (verbal) Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final January 21, 1998 1 4:24 N/A
Loss 12–3 Mikhail Ilyukhin N/A Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final January 21, 1998 N/A N/A N/A
Win 12–2 Dick Vrij N/A Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final January 21, 1998 N/A N/A N/A
Win 11–2 Andrei Kopylov Submission (armlock) Rings – Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 October 25, 1997 1 10:52 Japan
Loss 10–2 Kiyoshi Tamura Submission (armbar) Rings – Extension Fighting 7 September 26, 1997 1 12:48 Japan
Win 10–1 Akira Maeda Submission (kneebar) Rings – Extension Fighting 2 April 22, 1997 1 8:47 Japan
Win 9–1 Kiyoshi Tamura N/A Rings – Budokan Hall 1997 January 22, 1997 N/A N/A Tokyo, Japan
Win 8–1 Kiyoshi Tamura N/A Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 1997 N/A N/A N/A
Win 7–1 Tariel Bitsadze N/A Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 1997 N/A N/A N/A
Win 6–1 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka N/A Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 1997 N/A N/A N/A
Win 5–1 Masayuki Naruse N/A Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round October 25, 1996 N/A N/A N/A
Win 4–1 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Submission (armbar) Rings – Maelstrom 6 August 24, 1996 1 13:52 Japan
Win 3–1 Mitsuya Nagai Submission (rear naked choke) Rings - Maelstrom 4 June 29, 1996 1 11:47 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 2–1 Hans Nijman TKO Rings – Budokan Hall 1996 January 24, 1996 N/A N/A Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–0 Peter Ura Submission (kneebar) Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round October 21, 1995 N/A N/A N/A
Win 1–0 Akira Maeda Submission Rings – Budokan Hall 1995 January 25, 1995 N/A N/A Tokyo, Japan

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Before adoption of "KOK rules" in 1999/2000, there are a possibility that matches between 1995 and 1999 in RINGS might be fixed / worked, as RINGS began transitioning to MMA from U-Kei Pro Wrestling in 1995. At the moment, it is not known what during the 1995-1999 period was actually competitive MMA or shoot style pro wrestling. Regardless many fights during the 1995-1999 period are listed on official MMA records. His entire RINGS record - with pro wrestling bouts counted - is W97-L13.

References

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  1. ^ Leidecker, Tim (19 July 2009). "Emelianenko ready to cement his stature". ESPN. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b Jonathan Snowden, Kendall Shields, Peter Lockley (November 1, 2010). The MMA Encyclopedia. ECW Press. ISBN 978-15-502292-3-3.
  3. ^ a b ""Завязали глаза и заперли на неделю. Сняли повязку только в самолете". История самого загадочного бойца Дагестана". sport-express.ru (in Russian). 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b ""Забегают маски-шоу. Думаю: "Теракт?" А они за мной». Про него говорили: «Самый загадочный боец в истории ММА"". sport-express.ru (in Russian). 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Fedor Emelianenko Biography". Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  6. ^ a b 別冊宝島 (Vol 185-187) [Bessatsu takarajima (Vol 185-187)] (in Japanese). JICC Shuppankyoku. 1993. pp. 74–82.
  7. ^ a b c d Wall, Jeremy (12 September 2014). "2014 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame candidate profile: Volk Han". Archived from the original on 12 September 2014.
  8. ^ a b Wilcox, Nathan (29 July 2011). "Volk Han, The Man Who Brought Sambo And Fedor To Japan". SB Nation. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Cultural Exchange Information Center (1995). ワールドプラザ: 国際文化交流情報誌, (#37–42) [Wārudopuraza: Kokusai bunka kōryū jōhō-shi - Numbers 37 – 42]. Kokusai bunka fōramu. p. 57. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  10. ^ Murakami, Kazumi; Wakamatsu, Kazuki (2007). 自衛隊の最終兵器徒手格闘術&銃剣格闘術 [Jieitai no saishū heiki toshu kakutō-jutsu & jūkenkakutō-jutsu]. Sanshusha. p. 157. ISBN 978-4384035049. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Generated Historical Rankings". Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Fighter Profile". Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  13. ^ КАРАТИНЦЫ Archived 16 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine Welcome Dagestan Retrieved Nov 20 2021
  14. ^ "Profile at Oocities". Oocities.org. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  15. ^ Sasaki, Toru (2020). 週刊プレイボーイのプロレス (Shūkan pureibōi no puroresu) [Weekly Playboy wrestling] (in Japanese). Tatsumi Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 9784777826520.
  16. ^ "Japanese treble while Georgia seize control of the men's heavyweight division / IJF.org". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  17. ^ "ブルー・マリー：Kof Maximum Impact Regulation "A"". game.snkplaymore.co.jp. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  18. ^ Dead or Alive Ultimate and Dead or Alive 4 English-language Manual(s). Character select screen in DOA2, DOA4.
  19. ^ a b c d "Pro Wrestling History". Prowrestlinghistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
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