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Russian MMA fighter Darina Madzyuk is the latest Bellator signing. Madzyuk became famous earlier this month after a video of her knocking out a man almost four times her weight went viral. The man in question is a Russian blogger named Grigory Chistyakov.
"BREAKING: Bellator has signed Darina Madzyuk (3-1) to an exclusive contract. She will compete at flyweight and went viral earlier this month for KOing this 529lb man in Russia."
The event was organized by the Russian fighting promotion "Out Business" and featured a number of eclectic matchups like the one that became internet-famous.
Although Madzyuk is a professional MMA athlete, she started the fight facing difficulties because of the disproportional size and weight between her and Chistyakov. But it wouldn't take her too long to be in control of the bout.
The blogger started by using his heavy build to his advantage, forcing the 139 lb woman against the cage. Lacking the fighting skills, the man didn't know what to do with Madzyuk from that position. The referee decided to restart the bout due to the absence of action. Being able to dominate the center of the ring again, Madzyuk started to punch Chistyakov until he collapsed to the canvas, and after a sequence of strikes from the new Bellator star, the fight was stopped.
While some people thought Madzyuk's intergender bout victory was an act of bravery and ability, others felt that the fight was a bizarre and prejudicial event for the MMA world, which still struggles to be legitimized by other sports' governing bodies.
"Whilst so many have been battling to validate mixed martial arts, this kind of thing threatens to undo so much good work. This stuff makes my blood boil."
"Thanks for making me want to die so early this holiday season. I usually try to avoid it, but maybe it's good to confront your demons upfront rather than waiting for later. I guess. Vomit."
Madzyuk has an MMA record of three wins and one loss. The Russian viral sensation has already competed at openweight, lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight. It was reported that she will compete in Bellator's bantamweight division.
Bellator didn't reveal when the 28-year-old woman fighter will make her debut in the promotion. As for Chistyakov, the blogger said he has plans for further development of his MMA training in an interview with RT Sport after the fight.
"After this fight, I will start to train actively. I will try to live a more or less healthy lifestyle. Blogger Nastya Tuki-Tuk will be my coach," Chistyakov said. "It happened. I laid on her back, but she did not fall, and then I didn't know what to do. Although she is small, she hit me well, and I fell."
Darina Madzyuk's fight with a Russian blogger was another sign of the internet trend taking over the MMA world
Hearing that a blogger fought a professional MMA athlete doesn't sound as weird or rare as it did once. Although Darina Madzyuk is not the first fighter to be hired by a fighting promotion after getting internet fame - Kimbo Slice was the star of many viral videos before signing with the UFC - it is unusual to see non-professional fighters stepping into the cage. Or it was.
Jake and Logan Paul are the most prominent names in the fighting world to have come from the internet. The social media stars started their boxing careers last year and have shocked the world for different reasons. While Jake has displayed some impressive performances, KOing former NBA player Nate Robinson categorically, Logan just announced that he will fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in February 2020.
In the most recent headlines involving the brothers, Jake Paul is seen in an offensive callout video directed towards UFC star Conor McGregor. The YouTuber said that he has made defeating McGregor his "life's mission."
