Sambo – Champions
International Federation of Amateur Sambo (Fédération Internationale de Sambo) works as the international governing body of sambo and is responsible for the worldwide publicity and sambo events. In 1993, FIAS split into two organizations, as FIAS East and FIAS West. While FIAS East works for the development of sambo in the Russian territories, FIAS West works for the US and Western European countries.
Some of the major worldwide Sambo events recognized or organized by FIAS are as follows −
- European Sambo Championship
- World Sambo Championships
- FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships
- Russian Armed Forces Championships
- Sambo World Cup
- World Combat Games
Now we will discuss about some of the champions who have made their mark in this sport.
Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko
Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko is from Ukrainian SSR and is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist (MMA), sambist, and judoka. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards and accolades in different forms of wrestling sports including FIAS World Combat Sambo Championship (Heavyweight Champion 2002, 2005, 2007).
He was inducted into the FIAS hall of fame in 2012. He also won one gold in Russian Armed Forces Championships in the year 1998. He also has been the SportAccord World Combat Games brand ambassador in 2010 and 2013.
Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov
Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov is from Russian SFSR and is a Russian sambist, judoka and an undefeated mixed martial artist.
He has won four golds and one silver in the Russian Sambo Championships in the year 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
He also has won the Sambo World Championship in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
He has also been the Russian Presidential Cup Sambo Champion three times in the year 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Igor Yakimov
Igor Yakimov is a professional Russian sambist, judoka. He is considered as one of the most accomplished sambo champions and has won the World Combat Sambo Championship in year 2001.
He has won Pan American Sambo Championship in the year 1998 and 1999. He has also won Russian National Sambo Championship in the year 1985 and 1988.
Along with these wins, he also won the International Sambo Champion in the year 1990.
Rosen Dimitrov
Rosen Dimitrov is from Sofia, Bulgaria and is a professional sambist. He has won two golds in the year 2007 and 2011, and two silvers 2008 and 2010 in the World Sambo Championships. He also won the European Sambo Championships in the year 2008.
He along with his twin brother Rumen Dimitrov founded the organization TWINS MMA and presently working on producing more talents in it. In his full career he has won 21 matches out of which five were won by knockout, thirteen by submission, and three by decision.
Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko
Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko is from Russian SFSR, and is a Russian mixed martial artist and sambist. He is the brother of famous sambo fighter Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko.
He has won three golds in the Sambo World Championships in the year 2003, 2004 and 2006. He has also won five golds and one silver in Russian Championships in Sambo in the year 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012. He also has won a gold at the European Championships in the year 1999.
Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov
Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov is from Russian SFSR and is a professional mixed martial artist and sambist. He has won the Combat Sambo World Championship event twice.
He also has participated and won Combat Sambo Russian National Championship and Russian Combat Sambo National Championships.
He is also a mixed martial artist and he currently holds one of the longest undefeated streaks in MMA with 23 straight wins in which eight were won by knockout, seven by submission, and eight by decision.
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is from Byelorussian SSR, and is a professional mixed martial artist and sambist.
He won the European Youth Sambo Championship at the age of 19. He also got second place in Sambo World Cup. He also has won a bronze medal at the World Sambo Championship.
Presently he is more concentrating in his MMA career and is competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.