St. Petersburg has developed its strongest heavyweight MMA team in 20 years, since the legendary Red Devil 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), Denis Goltsov (36-9), and regular training camp participant Anton Vyazigin (17-6). Most compete in ACA, which the author notes creates inevitable losses due to tough competition, but success there indicates world-class level. Two notable upcoming fights are Kirill Kornilov vs Tony Johnson and Daniil Matsola vs Khadis Ibragimov, with Ibragimov also having developed professionally in St. Petersburg. The author plans to watch the ACA 202 event featuring these matchups.
