Babuli Tsoloev hails from the Republic of Ingushetia, a region in Russia’s North Caucasus. Beyond his undefeated welterweight record, much of his background remains a mystery. Tsoloev started his combat sports journey on the wrestling mats. I’m not sure if he achieved any major accomplishments, but he did have a viral clip of him and another guy brawling on the wrestling mat. Soon after, he transitioned to MMA and has excelled ever since.
Â
Tsoloev has fought his entire career in Russia, aside from one appearance in Kazakhstan. In nearly four years, he’s accumulated a 9-0 record and captured the FNG interim championship. At first glance, his record might suggest he’s a bit boring. He’s gone to four consecutive decisions and has five overall. However, he’s also faced better competition, making it tougher to get in and out of the cage. The more he fights, the more opponents will have footage to study and a better idea of his game plan.
Â
His recent wins are solid, largely because of the experience of the opponents he’s beaten. I rate his last performance against Maxim Butorin particularly highly. In his more recent fights, Tsoloev has been forced to spend more time striking and dig deeper into his gas tank. Early in his career, he could impose his will, maul opponents with short ground-and-pound, and force referee stoppages.
Â
His striking is fairly limited, but there’s something to work with. Tsoloev fights from a right-lead stance and throws a good short right hook and a big overhand left. He’s sloppy, misses a lot of punches, and struggles with distance striking. He’s built like the Hulk but is undersized at 5’8″ for welterweight. He doesn’t have one-punch knockout power, but he hits hard and is extremely explosive.
Â
Tsoloev would likely run into problems if forced to fight at range for extended periods. The problem is that it’s difficult to imagine opponents keeping him there given how wrestling-focused he is. You might also expect someone with that much muscle to struggle with his cardio, but he’s maintained a high pace across three rounds on four occasions and five rounds once.
Â
Tsoloev can get fights to the ground from multiple positions. Once his hands are clasped, escaping becomes extremely difficult. He does a great job of shooting, re-shooting, and adjusting his grip and positioning until he gets the takedown. He actively attacks the legs before working his way around to the rear body lock. From there, he’s effective with mat returns, knee taps, foot sweeps, trips, and drag-downs. Once opponents are underneath him, getting back to their feet is difficult, and escaping his control is even tougher. His size may be a disadvantage on the feet, but it helps him considerably in the wrestling department.
Â
Overall, Tsoloev is an interesting prospect. He’s a legitimate wrestler with a solid gas tank, and that alone can take him a long way. His jiu-jitsu isn’t particularly threatening in terms of submissions, but he makes the most of his opportunities. He doesn’t stall on top; instead, he stays active with short, damaging ground-and-pound. The blueprint against him is to keep the fight standing, but that’s easier said than done. Tsoloev can win a sloppy brawl, so opponents need to fight technically and maintain their distance.
Â
Tomorrow, Tsoloev faces Alexander Sarnavskiy (44-9) to unify the FNG welterweight title. A win would be huge, as Sarnavskiy remains a high-level opponent with an enormous experience advantage. He has 44 more professional fights than Tsoloev and has been competing for over a decade longer. Sarnavskiy has also fought under promotions like ACA/ACB, M-1, and Bellator. I don’t expect Tsoloev to win, as the experience gap is simply too significant. However, this is exactly the type of opportunity that could accelerate his development if he pulls it off.
Â
