Alexander Shlemenko

Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. Alexander is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and traditional kickboxing. Alexander later said, that he lost this fight, because he was a "young fool". According to his own words, Shlemenko didn't even have a clue about fighting on the ground or grappling at all, he was still training as an ARB fighter (there is no ground game in ARB). Competing in MMA was just a hobby to gain some money while studying. After this fight, Shlemenko started to prepare himself like a professional mixed martial artist, training grappling as well.

According to one of his blogs,

Later, in an interview Shlemenko said that this loss made him stronger, and gave him a lot of motivation to train harder.

Bellator MMA In 2010, Shlemenko signed with Bellator and made his debut in the Season Two Middleweight Tournament at Bellator 16, defeating Matt Major via unanimous decision.

In the semi-finals of the tournament, Alexander defeated Jared Hess, after Hess dislocated his knee, forcing the TKO via stoppage.

Shlemenko then faced Bryan Baker in the Bellator Middleweight tournament final on 24 June 2010 at Bellator 23. He won the fight via TKO in the first round to become the Bellator Season Two Middleweight Tournament winner. In addition to a $100,000 check for winning the tournament, Shlemenko obtained a chance to fight against Hector Lombard for the Bellator Middleweight Championship title at Bellator 34 on 28 October 2010.

On 28 October 2010 at Bellator 34, Alexander Shlemenko faced Hector Lombard. Lombard controlled nearly the whole fight, landing elusive striking combinations and heavy elbows from Shlemenko's guard. Despite taking a lot of damage that would've finished most opponents, Shlemenko actively fought back and even won the 5th round on the judges scorecards with a few well placed knees, some spinning backfists and stuffing takedown attempts. This was due to Hector Lombard relying mostly on takedowns to win the rounds after Shlemenko figured out his timing on the feet.

Season Five Middleweight tournament In the opening round of the Bellator Season Five Middleweight Tournament, Shlemenko fought Zelg Galesic, a Croatian mixed martial artist with a Tae Kwon Do background. This fight was anticipated as an interesting striking match between two experienced stand-up fighters. Despite these expectations, Alexander won via standing guillotine choke in the first round, proving his rarely seen submission skills.

In the semifinal round, Shlemenko faced Brian Rogers, an American fighter noted for many first round stoppages due to striking. Rogers came out aggressively in the first round, landing striking combinations. After a lost first round, Shlemenko started to dictate the pace of the fight early in the second round. A landed backfist, followed by heavy knee strikes to the head brought Rogers in trouble in the first half of the round. After both fighters exchanged some punches, Alexander managed to land another unanswered series of heavy knees to the head of Rogers, which forced the referee to stop the fight at 2:31 of the second round. After the fight Alexander stated in his blog, that he was rather nervous during the fight, and that he saw Brian Rogers as a very athletic and explosive opponent.

In the tournament finals, Shlemenko faced Vitor Vianna, a two-time world BJJ-champion. Nearly the whole fight Alexander dominated in stand-up punching exchanges, which brought him a win by unanimous decision. This win earned Shlemenko a rematch for the title against Hector Lombard. However, Lombard signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Bellator Middleweight Championship was vacated as a result.

Middleweight championship On 25 April 2012, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced that the winner of the Season Six Middleweight Tournament Finale Maiquel Falcão would face Shlemenko to crown the company's new Middleweight Champion. The two men met at Bellator 88 on 7 February 2013 for the vacant title. Shlemenko won via knock out in the second round.

Shlemenko was expected to face Bellator Season Eight Middleweight Tournament winner Doug Marshall on 7 September 2013 at Bellator 98. However, on 19 August, Marshall was forced out of the title bout due to an injury and was replaced by Season 8 Middleweight Tournament runner up Brett Cooper. In the rematch Shlemenko defeated Cooper via unanimous decision to retain the Bellator Middleweight Championship.

The title fight with Doug Marshall eventually took place on 22 November 2013 at Bellator 109. Shlemenko won the fight via knockout in the first round with a body punch, successfully defending his title for the second time.

Shlemenko faced Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament winner Brennan Ward at Bellator 114 on 28 March 2014. He won via guillotine choke submission in the second round to retain the Bellator Middleweight Championship.

In order to appear on the inaugural Bellator pay-per-view, Shlemenko moved up in weight to face Tito Ortiz in his Bellator MMA debut on 17 May 2014 at Bellator 120. He lost by submission via arm-triangle choke in the first round.

Shlemenko put up his Middleweight title against undefeated Brandon Halsey on 26 September 2014 at Bellator 126. He lost the fight and the title by submission at just thirty-five seconds into the first round.

Fight Nights Global (EFN) After his loss to Tito Ortiz, Shlemenko was expected to face Yasubey Enomoto at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 16 on 11 July 2014. However, the bout was cancelled for unknown reasons. The fight eventually took place on 20 December 2014 at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 18. Shlemenko won by unanimous decision.

M-1 Global Shlemenko faced former M-1 Global middleweight Champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky on 19 February 2016 at M-1 Challenge 64. He won the fight via split decision.

Shlemenko returned to M-1 four months later to face Vyacheslav Vasilevsky in a rematch on 16 June 2016 at M-1 Challenge 64. Despite being battered by Vasilevsky in the first two rounds, Shlemenko rallied and won the fight via guillotine choke in the third round.

Return to Bellator Shlemenko faced fellow knockout artist Melvin Manhoef in the main event at Bellator 133 on 13 February 2015. He won the bout by knockout due to a spinning back fist in the second round. On 17 March 2015, Shlemenko was suspended indefinitely for failing a post fight drug test with elevated testosterone levels. The result was changed to a No Contest. In June 2015, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended Shlemenko for an unprecedented three years with a $10,000 fine. In September 2015, Shlemenko filed a writ against the CSAC to have his three-year suspension overturned. In July 2016, Shlemenko won his appeal and his suspension was lifted and his fine lowered 50%.

In his first fight in Bellator post-suspension, Shlemenko faced Kendall Grove in the main event at Bellator 162 on 21 October 2016. After a back-and-forth first round, Shlemenko won the bout in the second round due to a liver shot and right hook combination followed by strikes on the ground.

Shlemenko faced newly signed middleweight Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 185 on 20 October 2017. Shlemenko still lost the back-and-forth fight by controversial unanimous decision. Seven out of eleven MMA media outlets scored the fight as a decision win for Shlemenko.

Shlemenko faced Anatoly Tokov on 13 October 2018 at Bellator 208. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Free agent After the stint in Bellator, Shlemenko faced Jonas Billstein at his native Russian Cagefighting Championship 5 on 15 December 2018. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Next Shlemenko faced Viscardi Andrade at Russian Cagefighting Championship 6 on 4 May 2019. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.

Shlemenko faced Chris Honeycutt at Eastern Economic Forum: Roscongress Vladivostok Combat Night on 15 September 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Shlemenko fought David Branch at Russian Cagefighting Championship 7 on 14 December 2019. He won via a guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Shlemenko faced Márcio Santos on 7 May 2021 at AMC Fight Nights 101. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

On 17 October 2021, Alexander Shlemenko met with Artur Guseinov in the main fight of the EFC 42 tournament. The fight lasted all three rounds and ended with Shlemenko's victory by unanimous decision.

On 3 March 2022, Shlemenko supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Shlemenko faced Aleksandar Ilić on 26 August 2022 at RCC 12. He lost the bout via TKO stoppage 22 seconds into the bout, after getting caught by a knee and dropped.

Shlemenko faced Cleber Sousa on 30 September 2022 at Shlemenko FC 5. He fought to a split decision draw.

Shlemenko faced Magomed Ismailov on 3 December 2022 at RCC 13, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

Shlemenko faced Alex Oliveira on 21 July 2023 at Shlemenko FC 8, submitting him in the first round via guillotine choke.

Shlemenko rematched Aleksandar Ilić on 15 December 2023 at RCC 17, avenging his previous loss by TKO stoppage at the end of the first round.

Shlemenko faced Kazkah prospect Kuat Khamitov at RCC 19 on 11 May 2024. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

The following month Shlemenko fought UFC veteran Curtis Millender at Shlemenko FC 10 on 1 June 2024. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Fighting style Shlemenko is known for his unorthodox striking style, which is difficult to refer to as traditional Muay Thai, Kickboxing, or ARB. Alexander is known for his knee strikes, he also often uses techniques such as the spinning backkick or spinning backfist. As stated in many interviews, he prefers to fight stand-up rather than on the ground, always trying to knock his opponent out. Often esteemed as a pure striker, Shlemenko also has some grappling skills, which he showed by defeating via submission among others Gregory Babene and Zakir Lalashov (both via triangle choke). Alexander switches from southpaw to orthodox during his fights. In his blog he says, that he can fight equally in both positions.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Middleweight World Championship (One time) Three successful title defenses Tied with Rafael Carvalho for the most successful Middleweight title defenses in Bellator history. (3) Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Tournament Championship Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament Championship M-1 Global M-1 Global Middleweight Grand Prix Champion World Kickboxing Network World Kickboxing Network MMA European 75 kg Championship International Absolute Fighting Council IAFC 2005 World Pankration Championship Tournament Championship IAFC 2005 Championship of Asia Tournament Championship IAFC 2004 Stage of Russia Tournament Championship IAFC 2004 Stage of Russia Cup 5 Tournament Championship IAFC 2004 Russian Pankration Championship Tournament Championship IAFC 2004 Stage of Russia Cup 4 Tournament Championship IAFC 2004 Pancration Asian Open Cup Tournament Runner-up IAFC 2004 Stage of Russia Cup 3 Tournament Championship Cup of Empire Cup of Empire 2004 Tournament Runner-up Sherdog 2011 All-Violence Third Team 2010 All-Violence Third Team

Mixed martial arts record Win

Nikola Dipchikov Submission (rear-naked choke) ACA 204

Omsk, Russia Loss

Vladislav Kovalev Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) RCC 23

Chelyabinsk, Russia Win

Guilherme Cadena TKO (elbows and punches) Shlemenko FC 11

Omsk, Russia Loss

Vladislav Kovalev Decision (split) RCC 22

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Anatoly Tokov Decision (split) RCC 21

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Curtis Millender TKO (punches and elbows) Shlemenko FC 10

Omsk, Russia Win

Kuat Khamitov Decision (unanimous) RCC 19

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Aleksandar Ilić TKO (punches) RCC 17

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Alex Oliveira Submission (guillotine choke) Shlemenko FC 8

Omsk, Russia Loss

Magomed Ismailov Decision (unanimous) RCC 13

Yekaterinburg, Russia Draw

Cleber Sousa Draw (split) Shlemenko FC 5

Omsk, Russia Loss

Aleksandar Ilić TKO (knee and punches) RCC 12

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Artur Guseinov Decision (unanimous) Eagle FC 42

Sochi, Russia Win

Márcio Santos Decision (unanimous) AMC Fight Nights 101

Vladivostok, Russia Win

David Branch Submission (guillotine choke) RCC 7

Yekaterinburg, Russia Loss

Chris Honeycutt Decision (unanimous) Eastern Economic Forum: Roscongress Vladivostok Combat Night

Vladivostok, Russia Win

Viscardi Andrade TKO (punches) RCC 6

Chelyabinsk, Russia Win

Jonas Billstein Submission (guillotine choke) RCC 5

Yekaterinburg, Russia Loss

Anatoly Tokov Decision (unanimous) Bellator 208

Uniondale, New York, United States Loss

Bruno Silva KO (punches) M-1 Challenge 93

Chelyabinsk, Russia Loss

Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) Bellator 185

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Brandon Halsey TKO (body kick and punches) M-1 Challenge 79

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Paul Bradley Decision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 75

Moscow, Russia Win

Kendall Grove TKO (punches) Bellator 162

Memphis, Tennessee, United States Win

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky Submission (guillotine choke) M-1 Challenge 68

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky Decision (split) M-1 Challenge 64

Moscow, Russia NC

Melvin Manhoef NC (overturned) Bellator 133

Fresno, California, United States Win

Yasubey Enomoto Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 18

Moscow, Russia Loss

Brandon Halsey Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 126

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Loss

Tito Ortiz Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Bellator 120

Southaven, Mississippi, United States Win

Brennan Ward Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 114

West Valley City, Utah, United States Win

Doug Marshall KO (punch to the body) Bellator 109

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Brett Cooper Decision (unanimous) Bellator 98

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Maiquel Falcão KO (punches) Bellator 88

Duluth, Georgia, United States Win

Anthony Ruiz Decision (unanimous) League S-70: Plotforma Cup 2012

Sochi, Russia Win

Ikuhisa Minowa TKO (knee and punch to the body) Super Fight League 2

Chandigarh, India Win

Julio Paulino Decision (unanimous) Modern Fighting Pankration: Battle of Empires 1

Khabarovsk, Russia Win

Vitor Vianna Decision (unanimous) Bellator 57

Rama, Ontario, Canada Win

Brian Rogers TKO (knees) Bellator 54

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Zelg Galešic Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 50

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Antonio Santana KO (punch) League S-70: Russia vs. Brazil

Sochi, Russia Win

Brett Cooper Decision (unanimous) Bellator 44

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Nick Wagner KO (punch) Fight Festival 30

Helsinki, Finland Loss

Hector Lombard Decision (unanimous) Bellator 34

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Bryan Baker TKO (punches) Bellator 23

Louisville, Kentucky, United States Win

Jared Hess TKO (knee injury) Bellator 20

San Antonio, Texas, United States Win

Matt Major Decision (unanimous) Bellator 16

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Sean Salmon KO (knee to the body) Fight Festival 27

Helsinki, Finland Win

Jean-François Lénogue KO (spinning backfist) Saturn & RusFighters: Battle of Gladiators 2010

Omsk, Russia Win

Maksim Nevolia Submission (rear-naked choke) Union of Veterans: Cup of Champions 2009

Novosibirsk, Russia Loss

Jordan Radev KO (punch) Fight Festival 26

Helsinki, Finland Win

Patrik Kincl Decision (unanimous) Hell Cage 4

Prague, Czech Republic Win

Petras Markevicius Decision (unanimous) Union of Veterans: Russia vs. The World

Novosibirsk, Russia Win

Bubba McDaniel TKO (flying knee to the body) ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series 5

Hammond, Indiana, United States Win

Gregory Babene Submission (triangle choke) Rus-Fighters: Siberian Challenge 2008

Bratsk, Russia Win

Mikko Suvanto KO (punches) Fight Force 1

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Diego Lionel Visotzky KO (head kick) BodogFight: USA vs. Russia 2007

Moscow, Russia Win

Lalashov Zakir Submission (triangle choke) Rus-Fighters: Siberian Challenge 2007

Bratsk, Russia Win

Scott Henze KO (spinning backfist) BodogFight: Vancouver

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Win

Andre Balschmieter TKO (punches) Bratsk Combat Sports Festival 2007

Bratsk, Russia Win

Mukhamed Aushev TKO (punches) Asian Pankration Federation: Battle of Borovoe 2006

Borovoe, Kazakhstan Loss

Jose Landi-Jons Decision (unanimous) World Freefight Challenge 2

Koper, Slovenia Loss

Ronaldo Souza Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Jungle Fight 6

Manaus, Brazil Win

Shavkat Urakov Submission (triangle choke) Asian Pankration Federation: World Cup 2006

Astana, Kazakhstan Win

Beslan Isaev Submission (triangle choke)

Win

Murad Magomedov TKO (corner stoppage)

Win

Vasily Novikov TKO (corner stoppage)

Loss

Jose Landi-Jons Decision (unanimous) Jungle Fight 5

Manaus, Brazil Win

Sergey Naumov TKO (punches) M-1: Russia vs. France

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Sergey Gubin KO (punch) IAFC: Pankration Siberian Open Cup 2005

Omsk, Russia Win

Ubaidula Chopolaev Decision (unanimous) M-1: New Blood

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Vasily Krilov Decision (unanimous)

Win

Musa Pliev Decision (unanimous)

Win

Sergei Akinen KO (knee)

Win

Vener Galiev TKO (injury)

Win

Pavel Jaroslavtcev TKO (punches)

Win

Murad Madomedov TKO (punches)

Win

Jakov Burbolenko TKO (punches)

Win

Evgenij Zaviazochnikov Submission (guillotine choke)

Win

Vasiliy Blinov TKO (punches)

Win

Jeihun Aliev TKO (punches)

Win

Magomed Sultanakhmedov Decision (unanimous)

Loss

Vener Galiev Decision (unanimous)

Win

Abdul Aziz Malaaiev Decision (unanimous)

Loss

Beslan Isaev Submission (armbar)

Win

Anton Veisbekker KO (punch)

Win

Alexander Yakovlev TKO (punches)

Win

Zulfinar Sultanmagomedov TKO (doctor stoppage)