# Mikhail Ilyukhin

Mikhail Ilyukhin (born November 21, 1966) is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competed in the light heavyweight division. He competed in both Fighting Network Rings, and Pride Fighting Championships, and was a prominent member of Russia Top Team, where he trained with the likes of Volk Han, Fedor Emelianenko, and Sergei Kharitonov. At Pride 26, Ilyukhin lost by stoppage to Quinton Jackson. He won his last fight at K-1 – Hero's Lithuania against Jordanas Poskaitis on November 26, 2005. It appears that following the demise of the Russia Top Team Ilyukhin has retired.

## Career
### IAFC & RINGS

After a successful career in sambo, Ilyukhin debuted in the professional wrestling promotion Rings in 1994, submitting Mitsuya Nagai in his first match. He would become a part of the Rings Russia team, along with Volk Han, Andrei Kopylov and Nikolai Zouev. One year later, he had his first contact in MMA represented Rings Russia in the International Absolute Fighting Council (IAFC)'s Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship. He won the event tournament by submitting six opponents on a row, five of them by Achilles hold and in roughly one minute each.
Only three months after, he returned to IAFC for a similar format, and his performance seemed to follow close. He made short work of his first two opponents with an armbar and a guillotine choke, submitted kickboxer Igor Vovchanchyn by digging his chin into Igor's eye from dominant position, and skipped a match when teammate Achmed Sagidgusenov threw the fight for him. However, at the finals Ilyukhin would meet Brazilian jiu-jitsu exponent Ricardo Morais, an apprentice of Carlson Gracie who outweighed Mikhail by almost 70 Ib. The Russian unexpectedly dominated the first segments of the match, hitting repeated headbutts and punches through Morais's guard until swelling shut one of his eyes, but he made the mistake of standing up, and it allowed the Brazilian to sweep him and take his back. After a long series of elbow strikes to Ilyukhin's spine, Morais locked a rear naked choke and got the win.
Despite the loss, the bout against Morais gained him fame in the Brazilian vale tudo scene, and he got a spot in the first event of Universal Vale Tudo Fighting, which was coincidentally hosted in Japan. He faced another against another Carlson Gracie trainee, the debutant Carlos Barreto, still heavier yet more similar to him in weight. The bout ended in the second round with Ilyukhin submitted again by rear naked choke. Months after, Ilyukhin participated in Shoot Boxing's MMA S-Cup event and was pitted against capoeira fighter Mestre Hulk, who was known for his tournament victory against Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Amaury Bitetti. The Russian won the match using the already known chin submission.
Back in Rings, Ilyukhin had a vale tudo rules match in 1996 against Adilson Lima, a Carlos Gracie, Jr. trainee who had been famously defeated twice by Vovchanchyn in the first IAFC tournament. The match started slow, with Lima taking down Illukhin and mounting him, but the Russian escaped thanks to a failed rear naked choke attempt. Illyukhin gained a yellow card by illegally grabbing the ropes in order not to be taken down again, yet he managed to take down the Brazilian himself and almost finished him with an ankle hold before the end of the time. The match was declared a draw, but Lima and his cornermen Renzo Gracie protested the result and demanded another round, which Rings chairman Akira Maeda and referee Yuji Shimada eventually had to concede. The fight was restarted for a heated contest, as Lima attacked Illyukhin at the handshake and grabbed the ropes himself while Mikhail threw an illegal headbutt, and it featured yet another controversial moment when Shimada stopped the match to a submission win for Lima before Illyukhin surrendered.
Mikhail returned to MMA format in 1999 facing Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture. The American, as a decorated wrestler, managed to stop Ilyukhin's insistent takedowns and push him against the ring ropes, almost making him fall through them at one point. After brawling on the clinch for most of the match, Illyukhin secured an arm with his back against the turnbuckle and dropped for a Kimura lock, but the referee intervened to reposition them on the center of the ring. In the process, the Russian visibly advanced the hold, and once restarted the fight, he completed it and Couture was forced to tap out. The win was immediately contested by Couture, but nothing come out of the complain.
In 1999, Ilyukhin was selected to compete in Rings' first MMA tournament, King of Kings 1999. He defeated his two first opponents, Tito Ortiz's teammate Justin McCully and HOOKnSHOOT tournament winner Brad Kohler, and then faced luta livre fighter Renato Sobral at the block's finals. The bout saw Sobral earning a yellow card for intentionally throwing Mikhail over the top rope, as well as the Russian attempting takedowns and boxing in order to try to hold his own. After the judges ruled a draw, an overtime was called; Mikhail performed a standing Kimura lock entry, but Sobral skillfully reversed it to an armbar and got the win. Ilyukhin also took part in the next edition of the tournament in 2000, facing Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in the first round. Although the bout looked to be back and forth, Kohsaka landed a striking combination in the second round which knocked Mikhail out, eliminating him from the event.

### Pride

Ilyukhin took part in a special match against Quinton Jackson in Pride Fighting Championships in 2003. He was heavily challenged for the bout, finding himself outweighed by an excess of 60 lb and being also 12 years older than Jackson, but he chose to fight nonetheless. Initially, the Russian was successful in bringing Jackson to the ground and threatening him with submissions, including a Kimura that almost succeeded, but his opponent powered out and started scoring strikes. Ilyukhin was knocked down and gained a yellow card for crawling under the ropes, and received further hits in his next attempt to go to the ground. Ultimately, after avoiding a triangle choke by the Russian, Jackson gained side control and threw knees to the head and liver, making Ilyukhin tap out.

## After retirement

After retirement Ilyukhin became prezident of Tula regional public organization "Sambo Federation" and was included into coaching stuff of Russian sambo team. Ilyukhin was awarded the title of Honored Coach of the Russian Federation in 2014 and at the same year he founded "Sport club of Ilyukhin" in Tula

## Championships and accomplishments

* Fighting Network Rings
** 1997 Rings Mega Battle Tournament Runner up
** 2001 Rings Openweight Championship Tournament semifinalist
* International Absolute Fighting Council
** IAFC Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship Tournament Winner
** IAFC Absolute Fighting Championship Tournament Runner Up
* World Sambo Championships
** Russian sambo championship 1995 gold medalist
** World sambo championship 1995 bronze medalist

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 42 matches | 30 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 2 |
| By submission | 28 | 9 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
| Win | 30-12-1 | Jordanas Poskaitis | Submission (half boston crab) | Hero's Lithuania 2005 | November 26, 2005 | N/A | | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Win | 29-12-1 | Petrov Kolev | Submission (heel hook) | Rings Russia: CIS vs. The World | August 20, 2005 | 1 | | Lithuania |
| Loss | 28-12-1 | Quinton Jackson | Submission (knee to the body) | Pride 26 | June 8, 2003 | 1 | 6:26 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Win | 28-11-1 | Katsuhisa Fujii | Submission (guillotine choke) | PC: Premium Challenge | May 6, 2002 | 1 | 5:45 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Draw | 27-11-1 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | Draw | Rings: World Title Series Grand Final | February 15, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Loss | 27-11 | Bobby Hoffman | TKO (corner stoppage) | Rings: 10th Anniversary | August 11, 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 27-10 | Borislav Jeliazkov | Submission (armbar) | Rings Lithuania: Bushido Rings 2 | June 15, 2001 | 2 | 2:06 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Win | 26-10 | Kestutis Smirnovas | Submission (achilles lock) | Rings Lithuania: Bushido Rings 2 | May 8, 2001 | 1 | | Lithuania |
| Win | 25-10 | Martin Lazarev | Decision (4-0 points) | Rings Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria | April 6, 2001 | 1 | 10:00 | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
| Loss | 24-10 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | KO (punches) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B | December 22, 2000 | 2 | 1:53 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | 24-9 | Valerijus Golubovskis | Submission (armbar) | Rings Lithuania: Bushido Rings 1 | October 24, 2000 | N/A | | Lithuania |
| Win | 23-9 | Bakouri Gogitidze | Submission (Achilles lock) | Rings: Russia vs. Georgia | August 16, 2000 | 1 | 7:25 | Russia |
| Win | 22-9 | Emil Kristev | Submission (Achilles Lock) | Rings Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria | May 21, 2000 | 1 | 0:00 | Tula, Russia |
| Win | 21-9 | Lee Hasdell | Decision | Rings Russia: Russia vs. The World | May 20, 2000 | 3 | 5:00 | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
| Loss | 20-9 | Renato Sobral | Submission (armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Final | February 26, 2000 | 3 | 0:40 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 20-8 | Brad Kohler | Submission (armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | October 28, 1999 | 1 | 2:16 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 19-8 | Justin McCully | Technical Submission (achilles lock) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | October 28, 1999 | 1 | 4:48 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Loss | 18-8 | Bakouri Gogitidze | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Rings: Rings Georgia | October 8, 1999 | 1 | 5:07 | Georgia, United States |
| Win | 18-7 | Joop Kasteel | Submission (achilles lock) | Rings: Rise 3rd | May 22, 1999 | 1 | 9:40 | Japan |
| Win | 17-7 | Randy Couture | Submission (kimura) | Rings: Rise 1st | March 20, 1999 | 1 | 7:43 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 16-7 | Masayuki Naruse | Submission | Rings: Third Fighting Integration | May 29, 1998 | 1 | 13:52 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Loss | 15-7 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission | Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final | January 21, 1998 | 1 | 18:12 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 15-6 | Volk Han | Submission | Rings: World Mega Battle Tournament 1997: Semi-Finals | December 23, 1997 | 1 | 9:36 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| Win | 14-6 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | Submission | Rings: World Mega Battle Tournament 1997: Second Round | November 20, 1997 | 1 | 14:16 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | 13-6 | Masayuki Naruse | Submission (Achilles lock) | Rings: Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 | October 25, 1997 | 1 | 12:28 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Loss | 12-6 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | Submission | Rings : Mega Battle Tournament 1996: Grand Final | January 22, 1997 | 1 | 10:04 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Loss | 12-5 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission | Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round | October 25, 1996 | 1 | 14:40 | Nagoya, Japan |
| Loss | 12-4 | Adilson Lima | Submission (armbar) | Rings: Maelstrom 6 | August 24, 1996 | 1 | 24:52 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 12-3 | Mestre Hulk | Submission (chin to the eye) | Shoot Boxing: S-Cup 1996 | July 14, 1996 | 1 | 6:59 | Japan |
| Loss | 11-3 | Carlos Barreto | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UVF 1: Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 1 | April 5, 1996 | 2 | 3:15 | Japan |
| Loss | 11-2 | Mitsuya Nagai | KO (strikes) | Rings: Maelstrom 1 | March 25, 1996 | 1 | 11:24 | Niigata, Japan |
| Win | 11-1 | Wataru Sakata | Submission | Rings: Budokan Hall 1996 | January 24, 1996 | 1 | 10:44 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Loss | 10-1 | Ricardo Morais | Submission (rear-naked choke) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Championship 1 | November 25, 1995 | 1 | 9:44 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 10-0 | Achmed Sagidgusenov | Submission (achilles lock) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Championship 1 | November 25, 1995 | 1 | 0:05 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 9-0 | Igor Vovchanchyn | Submission (chin to the eye) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Championship 1 | November 25, 1995 | 1 | 6:30 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 8-0 | Andrei Besedin | Submission (guillotine choke) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Championship 1 | November 25, 1995 | 1 | 1:21 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 7-0 | Zagil Eribinov | Submission (armbar) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Championship 1 | November 25, 1995 | 1 | 1:35 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 6-0 | Nikolai Zouev | Submission | Rings: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round | October 21, 1995 | 1 | 12:27 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| Win | 5-0 | Victor Yerohin | Submission (rear-naked choke) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship | July 1, 1995 | 1 | 3:54 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 4-0 | Leonid Efremov | Submission (achilles lock) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship | July 1, 1995 | 1 | 1:09 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 3-0 | Vadim Shevchenko | Submission (achilles lock) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship | July 1, 1995 | 1 | 0:08 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 2-0 | Maxim Tarasov | Submission (achilles lock) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship | July 1, 1995 | 1 | 0:41 | Moscow, Russia |
| Win | 1-0 | Piotr Tjernov | Submission (achilles lock) | IAFC: Absolute Fighting Eurasian Championship | July 1, 1995 | 1 | 0:36 | Moscow, Russia |