Former IMMAF junior world champion and senior European Open gold medalist, Igor Glazkov will be one to watch in years to come after winning his professional debut last month in St. Petersburg, dropping his opponent in the opening seconds with a left hook counter.
The 20-year-old wrestling champion of Siberia took on the best of amateur MMA in 2019 and conquered the IMMAF light-heavyweight ranks. After qualifying to represent the Russian national team under the government affiliated Russian MMA Union, Glazkov made his international debut at the 2018 IMMAF – WMMAA Unified World Championships in the junior men’s -205lb division, forcing knockout and submission stoppages to best opposition from New Zealand and the Czech Republic to earn the gold medal.
While Glazkov’s documented record does not account for the volume of Siberian regional contests, his official record from the international IMMAF platform and Russia’s national championships stands at 11-1 with his sole defeat coming in Russia’s 2019 national championship finals against Magomed Shakhrudinov who would go on to win the 2018 IMMAF senior world title.
In 2019 Glazkov stepped up to the elite senior level of the European Open Championships in Rome. The junior world champion laid waste to the division, proving his ability with four back-to-back triumphs from 20-23 June, first submitting Igor Kutsenko of the prominent Ukrainian national team before completing a TKO of Belgium’s Cedric Lushima.
Glazkov could not be stopped as he entered the European Open semi-finals to make astonishingly light work of towering Frenchman Paulin Begai. In the European Open final, Glazkov completed a three round shut-out against Finland’s Kirill Andreev. The incredibly humble standout consistently showcased unstoppable wrestling prowess and struck hesitation within rivals with fierce strikes while standing and without mercy on the ground.
Following his path of destruction at the European Open, Glazkov turned his attention to going pro and was signed to the reputable pro fight team and management group, Рать, a stable of Russian UFC talent and standout up and comers including Georgy Kichigin, Nikolay Aleksakhin, Roman Kopylov and Timofey Natyukhin who sensationally knocked out former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez last year.
Glazkov’s corner captured footage of his pro debut, watch it HERE.
By IMMAF.org lead writer: Jorden Curran
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