Sherdog’s Top 10: Regional MMA Promotions
No. 3
Khabib Nurmagomedov cut his teeth under the M-1 Global banner. |
Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
3. M-1 Global
Few promotions offer more fun and action on each and every show than M-1 Global. It flirted with worldwide status for several years, especially when Fedor Emelianenko was an active part of its stable and it could demand co-promotion for his fights. Since his retirement, however, M-1 has retreated, retrenched and established itself as the premier promotion in one of the most talent-rich areas on the planet.
Russia has been producing excellent fighters for decades, but this recent wave of mixed martial artists is something truly special. The North Caucasus region has been one of the best-kept secrets in the world of combat sports, pumping out Olympic medalists in wrestling and judo for years, but only recently has the area made itself known to fans of MMA, as well. M-1 has been one of the primary venues for fighters from the region to introduce themselves to a broader audience and eventually the world.
To name only a few of the most recent vintage, Rashid Magomedov was the M-1 champion before coming over to the UFC, while Khabib Nurmagomedov had three fights under its banner; Rustam Khabilov fought for M-1 nine times, and recent UFC signee Islam Makhachev had five bouts in the promotion. Other Russian organizations have stepped onto the scene, namely Fight Nights and ProFC, along with the Chechen Absolute Combat Berkut, but M-1 is still the gold standard.
One of the longest-tenured organizations on this list, having run its first show in 1997, M-1 shows no signs of slowing down. The matchmaking is good and the fighters are excellent, while every event offers beautiful venues, great production and even the occasional fight between armored knights. Few promotions are better worth the viewer’s time than M-1.
Number 2 » Tournaments were a staple of its early shows, and it built on a few well-known Polish fighters to eventually become the country’s biggest promotion. By 2009, it had hit on a successful formula: a combination of competitive fights featuring Polish and regional talent and an emphasis on name value and entertainment.
