M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia founded by businessman Vadim Finkelchtein in 1997.
Originating from the Russian "mixfight" scene of the 1990s, M-1 grew from local tournament events into one of the most prominent MMA organizations in Russia and one of the better-known promotions outside the UFC and PRIDE during the 2000s.
The promotion became particularly associated with heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, whose career was managed by Finkelchtein, and became notable for its willingness to cooperate with other major MMA organizations rather than operate solely as a competing promotion. Throughout its history, M-1 has co-promoted or collaborated with organizations including PRIDE, Affliction, Strikeforce and the UFC, while also developing its own international competition through the M-1 Challenge. M-1 has played a significant role in the development of Russian and Eastern European MMA, providing an early platform for numerous fighters who later competed at the highest level of the sport.
History
M-1 traces its origins to the Russian "mixfight" (Russian nickname for early MMA, or vale tudo) scene of the mid-1990s, when businessman Vadim Finkelchtein became involved in the sport through his promotion of Red Devil Energy Drink. While looking to promote the new brand, Finkelchtein was approached by Dutch "mixed- fight" organizers and agreed to sponsor a tournament in the Netherlands; after attending the event and becoming impressed by the sport's appeal, he decided to bring mixed fighting to Russia. Working with figures from the emerging St. Petersburg fight scene, including Nikolai Kudryashov, Finkelchtein helped organize the first M-1 tournament at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg on November 1, 1997. Billed as a European Championship in Mixfight, the event attracted more than 4,000 spectators at a time when mixed martial arts was still largely unknown in Russia and was commonly promoted as "mixfight" or "fights without rules". The success of the tournament led to the establishment of M-1 as a regular promotion and to the development of the Red Devil Sport Club, an MMA gym which became closely associated with the organization.
Following the inaugural tournament, M-1 gradually expanded its schedule and reach. Early events were concentrated in St. Petersburg and featured single-elimination tournament-style competitions, but the promotion began holding events elsewhere in Russia, including Sochi in 2000 and Moscow in 2003. During this period, M-1 also developed the Red Devil Sport Club into one of Russia's leading MMA teams, attracting fighters from across the country and establishing a close relationship between the promotion, its fighters, and Finkelchtein's management organization. The most important fighter to emerge from this system was Fedor Emelianenko, who began working with Finkelchtein in 2003 after establishing himself as a rising heavyweight in Russia. Fedor's subsequent success, particularly during his reign as PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, gave M-1 an international profile and helped establish the promotion as one of the leading organizations in Russian MMA.
Following PRIDE Fighting Championships's collapse in 2007, M-1 became involved in the transition of Japan's MMA scene through Yarennoka!, a New Year's Eve event held at Saitama Super Arena on December 31, 2007 and co-promoted by former PRIDE personnel and M-1 Global. Headlined by Fedor Emelianenko, who defeated Hong-Man Choi, the event effectively served as a PRIDE's farewell event and bridge between the PRIDE era and the emerging international MMA landscape. M-1's involvement also reflected its growing strategy of working across promotions to keep Fedor competing internationally, setting the stage for later partnerships with Affliction and other organizations.
During the second half of the 2000s, M-1 increasingly pursued an international strategy. The organization promoted events outside Russia and sought to create a global network of fighters and teams, culminating in the launch of the M-1 Challenge in 2008. Unlike a conventional MMA league, the Challenge used national and regional teams competing against one another across a series of events, with fighters representing countries including Russia, the United States, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Japan, South Korea and others. The format helped M-1 build an international roster while providing a competitive pathway for emerging fighters.
Around the same period, M-1 became involved in one of the most significant attempts to challenge the UFC's dominance of the international MMA market through its partnership with Affliction Entertainment. Fedor Emelianenko headlined Affliction's first two major MMA events in 2008 and 2009, defeating Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski respectively. Although Affliction ultimately abandoned MMA promotion in 2009, M-1 continued operating independently and increasingly established itself as a major European and Russian promotion.
M-1, in 2009, signed a contract to co-promote with Explosion Entertainment, owners of Strikeforce.
It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with other organizations) entitled M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough on August 28, 2009 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.
The M-1 Selection is a MMA competition where the next generation of fighters are given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage with fighters being eliminated after only one loss; victory will advance the winning fighters throughout the tournament and earn them a trip to the championship event where they will compete for a “M-1 Selection” title.
UFC Partnership
On July 18, 2018, it was announced that M-1 has agreed in a partnership with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where M-1 Global serves as the farm league for the UFC to scout Russian fighters for the UFC and involves in preparation and organizes new shows in Russia. Part of the deal also allows M-1 champions to have the opportunity to sign with the UFC.
1. def. Denis Smoldarev at M-1 Challenge 53 on November 25, 2014 in Beijing, China 2. def. Ante Delija at M-1 Challenge 61 on September 20, 2015 in Nazran, Russia
1. def. Luis Fernando Miranda at M-1 Challenge 50 on August 15, 2014 in Saint Petersburg, Russia 2. def. Valery Myasnikov at M-1 Challenge 54 on December 17, 2014 in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1. def. Murad Abdulaev at M-1 Challenge 72 on November 18, 2016 in Moscow, Russia 2. def. Maksim Grabovich at M-1 Challenge 75 on March 3, 2017 in Moscow, Russia 3. def. Sergey Romanov at M-1 Challenge 84 on October 27, 2017 in Saint Petersburg, Russia 4. def. Alexander Butenko at M-1 Challenge 90 on March 30, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1. def. Andrey Lezhnev at M-1 Challenge 100 on December 15, 2018 in Atyrau, Kazakhstan 2. def. Viktor Kolesnik at M-1 Challenge 102 on June 28, 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
1. def. Mansour Barnaoui at M-1 Challenge 62 on October 10, 2015 in Sochi, Russia 2. def. Timur Nagibin at M-1 Challenge 80 on June 15, 2017 in Harbin, China
Marat Gafurov vacated the title when he signed for ONE FC.
1. def. Yuri Ivlev at M-1 Challenge 41 on August 21, 2013 in Saint Petersburg, Russia 2. def. Lee Morrison at M-1 Challenge 47 on April 4, 2014 in Orenburg, Russia
M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship
Weight limit: 61kg (134.5lb)
No.
Name
Event
Date
Defenses
Current
Vacant
N/A
N/A
N/A
Sergey Morozov vacated the title when he signed for UFC.
2020 in M-1 Global
