St. Petersburg has assembled its most powerful heavyweight team in two decades, the strongest since the legendary Red Devil gym era. The current roster includes Kirill Kornilov (18-3), Alexander Maslov (12-1), Anton Vinnikov (18-5), Daniil Matsola (7-0), Artem Dushenko (6-3 at 93kg), Dmitry Baboryko (2-0, young Greco-Roman wrestling master), Denis Goltsov (36-9), and regular training camp participant Anton Vyazigin (17-6). Most of these fighters compete in ACA, which presents tough competition but allows them to prove themselves at a world-class level. Two upcoming interesting matchups are highlighted: Kirill Kornilov vs Tony Johnson and Daniil Matsola vs Khadis Ibragimov, with Ibragimov also having developed as a professional in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg's heavyweight scene has quietly built what observers are calling its deepest roster in roughly twenty years, drawing direct comparisons to the celebrated Red Devil gym that produced elite fighters in the early 2000s.
The current group operating out of the city reads like a who's who of the Russian regional heavyweight circuit. Kirill Kornilov carries an 18-3 record, Alexander Maslov stands at 12-1, and Anton Vinnikov brings experience with an 18-5 mark. Unbeaten prospect Daniil Matsola is a perfect 7-0, while Artem Dushenko competes at 93 kilograms with a 6-3 record. Young Greco-Roman wrestling specialist Dmitry Baboryko is undefeated at 2-0, and veteran Denis Goltsov, with a 36-9 career ledger, provides the group with seasoned leadership. Anton Vyazigin, listed at 17-6, regularly participates in the training camp. The majority of these fighters compete under the ACA banner, where the competition tests them against world-level opposition.
Two bouts on the horizon are generating particular attention within the camp. Kornilov is set to face Tony Johnson, who holds an 11-3 record and lands two significant strikes per minute with a 53 percent striking accuracy. On the same horizon, Matsola will meet Khadis Ibragimov, a 31-year-old Russian fighter out of Sambo Piter who stands six-foot-three with a 78-inch reach and carries an 8-4 record. Ibragimov lands 3.55 significant strikes per minute and is himself a product of the St. Petersburg professional development pipeline, adding an extra layer of rivalry to that pairing.
Why it matters
- St. Petersburg now has depth across multiple generations of heavyweights, from veterans like Goltsov to unbeaten prospects like Matsola and Baboryko
- The Kornilov vs Johnson matchup pits one of the roster's top names against a tested 11-fight veteran
- Matsola and Ibragimov share roots in the same city, giving their clash regional significance beyond the record books
