Krasnodar-based fight club Kuznya used artificial intelligence to manipulate video footage of a bout from their "Vremya Novykh Geroev" event, digitally raising the hand of their fighter Mikhail Lopushansky despite him losing to Kyrgyz fighter Dilovarshokh Tuychiev. The club then published the altered video and publicly described the result as a draw. Investigators recovered the authentic photo from the moment of the real decision, which shows only Tuychiev's hand being raised, and the original is also visible on Tuychiev's own social media. Lopushansky himself compounded the controversy by publicly disputing even the fabricated draw result, insisting he deserved the victory.
A Russian mixed martial arts club has been caught using artificial intelligence to falsify the outcome of a competitive bout, manipulating video footage to conceal a loss suffered by one of its own fighters.
Kuznya, a fight club based in Krasnodar, altered recorded footage from their "Vremya Novykh Geroev" event to digitally raise the hand of fighter Mikhail Lopushansky at the moment of the official decision. In reality, the bout had been won by Kyrgyz fighter Dilovarshokh Tuychiev, whose hand alone was raised by officials at the conclusion of the contest. Kuznya then published the manipulated video and publicly characterized the result as a draw.
The deception unraveled after investigators recovered an authentic photograph taken at the moment of the real decision, which clearly shows only Tuychiev's hand being raised. Further evidence came from Tuychiev's own social media pages, where the original, unaltered footage remained publicly visible and confirmed the genuine outcome.
The controversy took an additional turn when Lopushansky himself publicly rejected even the fabricated draw narrative, claiming he had deserved an outright victory. The statement placed him at odds not only with the verified result but with the version of events his own club had constructed on his behalf.
Why it matters
- The incident represents one of the first documented cases of AI-generated video manipulation being used to falsify an official combat sports result.
- It raises immediate questions about the integrity of regional MMA promotion and the ease with which digital tools can be deployed to deceive fans, fighters, and record-keeping bodies.
- Tuychiev's legitimate victory was temporarily obscured, potentially affecting his competitive record and public profile.
- The internal contradiction between the club's fabricated draw and Lopushansky's own public claims has drawn additional scrutiny to Kuznya's conduct around the event.
