Rivalries: Vitaly Minakov

Inactivity and indifference seemed to have capped Vitaly Minakov’s earning potential, though at 36 years of age, he still has time to change the narrative.

The former Bellator MMA heavyweight titleholder will do battle with American Top Team’s Said Sowma in the Bellator 269 co-main event on Saturday at the VTB Arena in Moscow. Minakov has not competed in more than two years. Nevertheless, the Bryansk, Russia, native sports an impressive 22-1 record as a pro, his resume anchored by victories over Eddie Sanchez, Fabiano Scherner, Geronimo dos Santos, Josh Copeland and Tony Johnson . Minakov has delivered 20 of his 22 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission, five of them inside one minute.

As Minakov moves toward his clash with Sowma, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped steer his mixed martial arts journey:

Alexander Volkov

Minakov ousted his fellow countryman with a ringing right uppercut and follow-up standing-to-ground punches to become the undisputed Bellator MMA heavyweight champion in the Bellator 108 co-feature on Nov. 15, 2013 at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Volkov met his end 2:57 into Round 1, his 10-fight winning streak a thing of the past. Minakov pressed into the clinch with knees and elbows. He then swept into top position after a failed suplex attempt left him underneath the champion on the canvas. After a restart, the undefeated sambo practitioner uncorked the uppercut that marked the beginning of the end for Volkov. Minakov pounced with lefts and rights as he hovered over the fallen “Drago,” as one last left to the head led referee Dan Miragliotta to intervene.

Antonio Silva

“Bigfoot” was no match for Minakov, as the former Bellator champion took apart and ultimately punched out Silva in the second round of their Fight Nights Global 68 co-main event on June 2, 2017 at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Referee Herb Dean waved it off 97 seconds into Round 2. Minakov’s speed advantage was readily apparent from the start and remained a factor throughout the match. Silva managed to connect with a series of leg kicks in the first round, but they were not nearly enough to keep his Russian counterpart at bay. Minakov caught a kick from the former EliteXC champion early in Round 2, tripped the monstrous Brazilian to the floor and cut loose with a burst of brutal standing-to-ground punches that necessitated the stoppage.

Cheick Kongo

Kongo avenged a previous defeat to the Russian sambo stylist, as he nailed down a unanimous decision in their forgettable Bellator 216 rematch on Feb. 16, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Frenchman swept the eyebrow-raising scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges. The encounter was marred by extended periods of inactivity from Kongo and ineffectiveness from his counterpart. Minakov—who had outpointed the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran in their first meeting back in April 2014—moved forward for much of the match but spent much of his energy swinging at air. Kongo struck in round-stealing bursts, uncorking punches and knees at opportune times in a clear effort to sway the jury. Minakov did his best work in the third round, where he delivered a takedown, scored with ground-and-pound and even attempted an Ezekiel choke. However, Kongo answered in the closing seconds with uppercuts and knee strikes that had the previously undefeated Russian ducking for cover.

Timothy Johnson

Minakov brought down the Xtreme Couture export with punches in the first round of their Bellator 225 co-headliner on Aug. 24, 2019 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Johnson succumbed to blows 1:45 into Round 1. Minakov set the tone with an early suplex but did his heavy lifting in the standup exchanges. He followed a front kick to the body with a short right cross that stunned Johnson and sent him stumbling backward. Minakov pressed him to the cage, dropped his dazed counterpart to his knees with a glancing blow behind the ear and then polished off the slumped Johnson with unabated hooks from each hand. It was Minakov’s 14th first-round finish as a pro.