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ARTHUR GUSEINOV
The Tsar Bomba of MMA
© Marc Wickert June 26, 2011 Special thanks to Eric Nicholl
Although the original Tsar Bomba may have had a more powerful yield than Arthur Guseinov, there’s no disputing the mighty Russian’s ability to send shockwaves through opponents with his nuclear arsenal of kicks.
In 2009, Guseinov defeated M-1’s current middleweight champion, Magomed ‘The White Wolf’ Sultanakhmedov, at the M-1 Selection European tournament by unanimous decision. However, Arthur is probably best known for his tree-trunk legs and explosive kicks. His MMA career tally of 7-2-0 includes three victories via head kick and one over Stanislav Molodcov by body kick.
On July 8, Arthur Guseinov will be going to war against Tyson ‘The Anti-Hero’ Jeffries as part of the M-1 Challenge XXVI: Bennett vs. Garner card, and MMA fans can expect to see the modern Tsar Bomba explode with his trademark high kicks, low kicks, and spinning back-kicks the moment the bell rings.
Arthur is a smart fighter and has a natural ability to utilize opportunities when they present themselves, and he is quick to find holes in an opponent’s game. He will also be bringing to America his sambo sweeps, nasty close-quarter knee strikes, unpredictable strikes from southpaw stance, and a powerful right hook, which he detonated against Evgeniy Vasilev at ProFC: Union Nation Cup 2 on September 25, 2009.
MMA fans can catch Arthur Guseinov LIVE on Showtime this Friday, July 8, as part of the M-1 Challenge XXVI: Bennett vs. Garner fight card.
Arthur kindly gave up his time days before the upcoming battle to talk with Knucklepit and cleared up much of the misinformation about him circulating on the internet.
I was born in Dagestan, Buinaksk. What area do you live in now? Now I live in St. Petersburg. Do you train exclusively with Action Force Fight Team? I was in Action Force about two years go. Now I’m training out of Sambo-Piter fight club.
Who are you training with for your bout with Tyson Jeffries, and what will each person’s role be in assisting you? I train with different guys – some are better standing up and striking, some are better on the ground. But I am trying to cover all the possible areas. Did you serve in the Russian military? Nope. Could you give a brief rundown of your bout with Roman Rolskiy, please, Arthur? Well, he was really tall and uncomfortable. I had to attack him first and use my striking techniques and a liver kick when he was open – that’s when he fell. Like Fedor, you have a great ability to land in the more dominant position when you take an opponent to the ground and when you are being taken down. Does that skill come from Combat Sambo? That stems more from my hand-to-hand combat training. Why did you originally get into a fighting art, and what age were you? I was around six years old when I went into sports; I did Karate for seven years and then I started Ushu-Sanda, tried a bit of Muay Thai, then K-1 and so on. I have your fighting background listed as Muay Thai, Combat Sambo, Kickboxing and TKD. Is this accurate? Yes that’s about it; I’d add hand-to-hand fighting and Karate. Can you recall a rough time frame for when you took these systems up, please, Arthur. It all started with karate when I was 6 till 13, then I started Ushu-Sanda 13 to 17 years old, before I tried hand-to-hand fighting, then I started performing kickboxing and K-1. About the same time I started Combat Sambo, then I started to wrestle – freestyle wrestling – then TKD, and here I am in MMA since I came to St. Petersburg in 2005. And your credentials as Russian National Kickboxing Champion, Russian South Combat Sambo Champion, Blackbelt TKD. Is this accurate and is there anything I’ve omitted? That’s accurate. I am a master of sports in kickboxing, Combat Sambo, Ushu-Sanda and hand to hand fighting, I’m the champion of Asia in MMA, 8 times champion of Dagestan in hand-to-hand fighting, 2 times world champion in universal karate and I have some more (smiles). Coming from Matt Lindland’s Team Quest stable of fighters, it’s easy to assume Tyson Jeffries will want this battle to be fought on the ground. But you’ve shown you have a respectable ground game. Could you have some surprises for him if the action does go to the canvas? All my surprises are held exclusively for Tyson. You seem so calm, almost sleepy, when you step into the ring. And then you explode. What happens? That’s excitement mixed with adrenalin. I just seem calm but I’m really not (smiles). What do you do to chill out when not involved in MMA? I like playing billiards, going to the movies, I like outdoor picnics. How do you see your match against Tyson going? I can’t really predict it but I am set up for an explosive fight! It will be interesting! Your sponsors? I would like to thank Mamishev Vagiv for helping me. Arthur, is there anything you’d like to add? See you in CALIFORNIA!
Tickets to M-1 Challenge XXVI: Bennett vs. Garner can be purchased at www.fightcluboc.com or call Roy Englebrecht Promotions on (949) 760 3131. For more on Arthur Guseinov: www.m-1global.com.
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