10 Europeans to Watch in 2011

Tomasz MarciniakJan 18, 2011
Guram Gugenishvili (left) | Photo Courtesy: M-1 Global



Guram Gugenishvili (10-0)

The M-1 heavyweight champion is the sole representative of his weight class on this list. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing a solid 250 pounds, the Kiev-based Georgian is no blown-up light heavyweight, but the genuine heavyweight article. Gugenishvili, atypically for European heavyweights, is a wrestler first, but with a knack for the submission game. Even better, it's not the kind of obsolete armbar-and-leglock game witnessed in many athletes from former Eastern Bloc countries. Gugenishvili has shown a tendency to give up position at times, and he has had to show off very little striking thus far. Gugenishvili will defend his title against Maxim Grishin March 5 in Moscow.

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