5 former M-1 Global champions currently competing in the UFC

Shavkat Rakhmonov is one of a number of former M-1 Global champions competing in the octagon right now

Once best known for being the promoters of the great Fedor Emelianenko, Russia’s M-1 Global organisation is now renowned for being one of the UFC’s bigger feeder promotions.

Over the years, M-1 Global has sent a number of excellent champions to the UFC, and we’ve seen a number of them make a strong impact inside the octagon too.

Granted, not all of the former M-1 Global champions to make the jump have been able to succeed in the big show. However, it’s probably fair to suggest that more will make the crossover in the future.

M-1 Challenge featherweight champion @NateTheTrain will make his first Octagon appearance on January 25th! In his UFC debut Landwehr is gonna face @HerbertBurnsMMA! Good luck Champ! https://t.co/TUwUlA14fU

With that in mind, here are five former M-1 Global champions currently competing in the UFC.

#5. Alexander Volkov – UFC heavyweight contender

Alexander Volkov was already a highly notable fighter from his days in Bellator before he claimed gold in M-1 Global

One of the most notable former M-1 Global champions to be currently competing in the UFC is heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov. ‘Drago’ has definitely made an impact in the octagon since his 2016 arrival and is set to headline this weekend’s Fight Night show alongside Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Unlike many of the fighters on this list, Volkov was a widely-known entity before his heavyweight title victory in M-1 Global, as he’d fought for Bellator MMA from 2012 to 2015, defeating notable opponents such as Blagoy Ivanov and Brett Rodgers in his time there.

However, ‘Drago’ always had strong links with the Russian promotion, as he made his MMA debut there back in 2009. So it was no surprise to see him return to M-1 Global in 2016, where he swiftly claimed the gold vacated by future octagon contender Marcin Tybura by beating Denis Smoldarev.

Volkov defended his title once before vacating it ahead of a move to the world’s premier MMA promotion. Since then, he’s put together an impressive 8-4 octagon record, picking up wins over Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem along the way.

It’s safe to say he’s definitely been one of the better imports from M-1 Global.

Whatever he hits, he destroys! 💥

Drago gets it done in the second round! 🇷🇺

@AlexDragoVolkov finishes Alistair Overeem! 👊

#UFCVegas18 https://t.co/xPH5x4jv0p