Bellator officials announced Thursday the signing of undefeated Russian, Vitaly Minakov (8-0-0), to its heavyweight ranks as the 6’3, 240lb, RusFighters Sport Club representative looks to earn his spot in a future season tournament with his eye ultimately on champion, Cole Konrad.
“With my current training regimen, I feel like I am fully prepared for a future Bellator tournament,” Minakov (left of photo) said. “I want everyone to know that I’m not here just to take part in a Bellator tournament, but to win it all and become a Bellator Champion.”
The four-time World Sambo champion – who trains alongside Bellator middleweight title-contender, Alexander Shlemenko, inside one of Russia’s most notable camps – last appeared June 7 at Fight Nights – Battle of Moscow 7 where he handily defeated UFC veteran, Eddie Sanchez, via first round knockout. With seven finishes in just eight professional outings, Minakov is optimistic about the future and direction he and his team have taken to this point in his career.
“Becoming a Bellator fighter means that all my hard work in the gym and training has all paid off… It means myself and my entire team were working in the right direction, and we did everything right.”
Bellator Fighting Championships CEO, Bjorn Rebney, has scouted extensively within Russia’s boarders and has been successful signing a handful of top prospects including Season Six Middleweight Tournament finalist, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky. Commenting on the promotion’s most recent acquisition, Rebney made the following statement.
“There has been tremendous buzz about Vitaly worldwide. He has an incredible Sambo background and a very solid standup game. His potential after just eight fights is very high, and we are excited to have him joining Bellator.”
No date has been announced for Minakov’s Bellator debut
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