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2012 World MMA Welterweight Scouting Report: #1 - Andrey Koreshkov
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
This is a guest post by Rory MacLeod (smoogy)
You may not know the name, but RusFighters Sport Club has emerged as the premier professional mixed martial arts team in Russia. Their flagship fighter, Alexander Shlemenko, has won two Bellator middleweight tournament titles in as many tries. Alexander Sarnavskiy, the #7-ranked lightweight on the 2011 World MMA Scouting Report, is one of the most coveted lightweight talents in the sport. And now Andrey Koreshkov (8-0), the youngest of the trio, is emerging as a blue chip athlete with the potential to make a big impact of his own.
As a boy, Andrey was trained in a traditional Russian art form: ballroom dancing. Bullying and fisticuffs weren't an uncommon reaction from his peers, so he began training in MMA to learn how to defend himself. He began with pankration training in Omsk and quickly moved up the amateur ranks. In 2010, he collected two world titles in the sport. Opting to go pro in MMA the same year, Koreshkov began training with Shlemenko in St. Petersberg.
So far "Spartan" has amassed an eight fight winning streak to begin his career with no fights even making it to the end of the second round. Most recently, he fought The Ultimate Fighter veteran Kyacey Uscola, who was filling in on short notice for another TUF luminary, Shonie Carter. Koreshkov blasted Uscola around the ring with power punches and kicks, finishing with some particularly brutal ground and pound late in the first round.
Though his pankration background might suggest a boxing or wrestling-oriented approach to fighting, Andrey dominates with a high paced assault of kickboxing and submission attacks that is reminiscent of DREAM Champion Gegard Mousasi. It remains to be seen how Andrey's defense will fare against a high level grappler, but his offensive skills are outright devastating in all areas.
Koreshkov's teacher and primary style influence is Shlemenko himself, and it shows. With his guidance, and RusFighters Vice President Alexei Zhernakov fighting for him outside the cage, Andrey is on the fast track. Expect to see his debut in a major promotion very soon.
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