Alexander Sarnavskiy has one of the longest undefeated stretches in MMA history, and now, he’ll put that streak on the line against increased opposition after signing a deal to compete in Bellator.
The Russian, who is just 23 years old, has signed with the promotion, and will be slotted as the No. 1 seed in its upcoming lightweight tournament, according to a Bellator press release.
He is a spotless 20-0 in his career, with six knockouts and 11 submissions. Only five opponents have ever made it out of the first round against him.
Among his wins are victories over former UFC fighter Doug Evans, and Strikeforce and TUF veteran Len Bentley. He also tapped out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Marcio Cesar in just 65 seconds.
While the move to Bellator will mark his debut in a major North American promotion, he has previously fought for M-1, where he won five of his six fights by finish.
Sarnavskiy comes from the same camp that produced Bellator’s current No. 1 middleweight contender Alexander Shlemenko, as well as recent Bellator addition, welterweight Andrey Koreshkov, who is himself unbeaten at 10-0.
Bellator’s current lightweight champion is Michael Chandler.