Saint Petersburg emerges as major heavyweight training hub with strong ACA roster

Saint Petersburg has assembled its most formidable heavyweight team since the legendary Red Devil camp 20 years ago. 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) separately, and Anton Vyazigin (17-6) who regularly attends training camps. Most of these fighters compete in ACA, which means losses are inevitable given the high level of competition. However, those who compile strong records in this environment can legitimately be considered world-class fighters. Two upcoming bouts of particular interest are Kirill Kornilov vs. Tony Johnson and Daniil Matsola vs. Khadis Ibragimov, with Ibragimov also having developed professionally in Saint Petersburg.