Oleg Taktarov

1.1. Childhood and Early Training

Taktarov began his martial arts journey at the age of 12, training in both Judo and Sambo. He actively competed in these disciplines during his obligatory military service in the Soviet Union. His skills were recognized, leading him to serve as a hand-to-hand combat instructor for the KGB. At the age of 22, he retired from his military and combat roles to pursue a career as a businessman. However, in 1989, Taktarov found himself drawn back to martial arts through an event called Jujutsu Full Contact, a jacketed mixed martial arts competition, where he dominantly won the first four editions. During this period, he also trained extensively in jujutsu, becoming a four-time European champion. In October 1993, Taktarov participated in the White Dragon MMA tournament in Riga, Latvia, but was forced to leave the country due to escalating political tensions. He subsequently moved to the United States with aspirations of pursuing a film acting career, a goal initially delayed by his limited fluency in English.

1.2. Transition to Professional Fighting

Upon arriving in North America, Taktarov's primary objective was to become an actor. However, he decided to become a professional fighter as a means to secure a visa extension, which would allow him to remain in the United States and pursue his acting ambitions. In 1994, seeking connections within Hollywood, Taktarov contacted the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy after watching UFC 2. He offered to train Royce Gracie in Sambo leglocks. While he was initially accepted as a training partner after demonstrating his skills against several instructors, he was ultimately unable to pay the required training fee and was rejected. Taktarov then reached out directly to the UFC management, expressing his desire to compete for the prize money. He was advised that his background in similar competitions gave him a strong chance of winning. Despite the Gracie family's prior attempts to prevent his entry into the UFC, Taktarov was accepted into the UFC 5 tournament in April 1995. A week before the event, Taktarov dislocated his knee, but he chose to compete despite the injury.

2.1. Ultimate Fighting Championship

Taktarov made his UFC debut at UFC 5 on April 7, 1995. He was billed as "The Russian Bear," a nickname his manager created, and was presented as a Sambo representative, an exotic martial art at the time. However, Taktarov's friendly demeanor, marked by an infectious smile to the camera during introductions, contrasted sharply with the intimidating postures of other fighters. In his first fight, he quickly submitted Kempo Karate expert Ernie Verdicia using an arm triangle choke after pulling guard and sweeping his opponent. He advanced to face Greco-Roman wrestler Dan Severn. Hindered by his injured knee and a significant 55 lb ^{(55 lb)} weight disadvantage, Taktarov was taken down by Severn and pinned against the cage wall, where he endured repeated knee strikes and headbutts while attempting submissions. The fight was stopped by the referee due to a deep cut on Taktarov's face, resulting in a TKO loss for Oleg.

Following UFC 5, Taktarov trained with Ken Shamrock and his Lion's Den fighting team. He later recounted that he and Shamrock engaged in intense, private training sessions, emphasizing that no one else, including future prominent fighters like Frank Shamrock or Guy Mezger, could match his intensity at the time.

Taktarov returned to the octagon at UFC 6 on July 14, 1995. In his first-round bout against wrestler and Judoka Dave Beneteau, Taktarov recovered from an early takedown and stun, scoring his own takedown and submitting Beneteau with a guillotine choke. His next opponent was to be Patrick Smith, but an injury led to Smith's replacement by Anthony Macias. Taktarov submitted Macias with another guillotine choke in just nine seconds, setting a record for the fastest submission in UFC history. This quick finish, against an opponent who shared a promoter and training ground with Taktarov, led to unusual booing from the crowd, who suspected the fight was a work designed to ensure Taktarov's path to the finals. Regardless, Taktarov advanced to the main event, facing the much larger fighter Tank Abbott. Commentators dubbed the match a "skill vs. strength" contest. Both fighters were significantly fatigued and dehydrated due to the high altitude of Casper, Wyoming, where the event was held. The bout was a grueling, hard-fought affair, with Abbott dominating grappling exchanges and landing punches, while Taktarov patiently counterattacked with strikes and submission attempts. After 17 minutes of back-and-forth action, with both fighters visibly exhausted, Taktarov secured a rear naked choke to win the tournament. He was immediately hospitalized after the fight, requiring an oxygen mask, and later stated that doctors found he had barely a gallon of water left in his system. Taktarov's victory marked him as the first Russian fighter to win a UFC tournament.

As the reigning tournament champion, Taktarov was scheduled to challenge reigning UFC Champion Ken Shamrock at UFC 7 on September 8, 1995, for the UFC Superfight Championship. Due to his friendship with Shamrock, Taktarov reluctantly accepted the fight, hoping to win without causing him harm, though he was uncertain if Shamrock would reciprocate. Similar to his previous fights, Taktarov demonstrated exceptional toughness while defending from the bottom, spending most of the match defensively on his guard, enduring punishment. The fight reached its 30-minute time limit and continued into three minutes of overtime. With no judges to score the bout, it ended in a draw, with Shamrock having landed strikes both standing and from Taktarov's guard.

Taktarov then entered the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 tournament on December 16, 1995. He faced Dave Beneteau in a rematch, with Taktarov claiming Beneteau had greased himself to hinder his grip. Unable to throw Beneteau, Taktarov executed a flying kneebar, seamlessly transitioning into an ankle lock to secure the submission victory. He then moved on to face Luta Livre exponent and highly regarded UFC 7 champion Marco Ruas. The match was long and slow, with Taktarov persistently attempting takedowns while Ruas landed strikes, causing Oleg to bleed. The fight went the distance, and Taktarov was awarded a decision victory based on his superior aggression. Controversy arose when Ruas's manager, Frederico Lapenda, publicly complained about the decision. Despite his exhaustion, Taktarov advanced to the finals, where he rematched Dan Severn from UFC 5. In the opening minutes, Taktarov applied another leglock combination, which he claimed Severn was on the verge of tapping to before Taktarov released it due to fatigue. Severn then controlled the remainder of the bout, landing headbutts and knee strikes from dominant positions, including during an overtime period controlled through boxing. Severn ultimately won the decision.

Taktarov concluded his UFC career after Ultimate Ultimate 1995, citing the management's focus on Shamrock over other fighters as his reason for departure. Nevertheless, at UFC 45 on November 21, 2003, a fan poll for the most popular fighters in UFC history placed Oleg among the top ten.

2.2. Post-UFC and Other Organizations

After his tenure with the UFC, Oleg Taktarov continued to compete in various international promotions. He participated in the Japanese promotion Pancrase, where he faced Ryushi Yanagisawa on May 16, 1996, and lost by decision. He then traveled to Brazil, where he secured a submission victory over Joe Charles in the World Vale Tudo Championship on August 14, 1996.

Discussions arose for a rematch with Marco Ruas, which Taktarov readily accepted. He even considered orchestrating a ringside brawl to garner media attention, hoping to facilitate an anticipated rubber match back in the UFC. Ruas's management appeared receptive to the idea of a third fight, with his manager, Lapenda, even making Taktarov promise to fight entirely standing. However, Ruas himself fought to win. With one minute remaining in the bout, Taktarov finally took Ruas down, but he allowed the match to end in a draw. The general interest in a rubber match waned, and it never materialized.

Upon returning from Brazil with a broken hand, Taktarov discovered his manager had scheduled him for a fight against Renzo Gracie for Martial Arts Reality Superfighting with only ten days' notice. On November 22, 1996, during the fight, Taktarov managed to take Gracie down, but the anticipated grappling battle did not unfold. His injured hand prevented him from securing an opportune leglock on Gracie, who capitalized on the lapse to land an upkick that knocked Taktarov down. Taktarov attempted to continue, but the kick had caused a deep cut, leading to the fight's stoppage.

In 1997, Taktarov returned to Brazil to compete at the Pentagon Combat event against decorated ADCC grappler Sean Alvarez. Despite Alvarez's size advantage, Taktarov showcased his newly refined striking skills, knocking out Alvarez within a minute of the first round on September 27, 1997. However, he was then sent to another short-notice match, this time in Japan, for the inaugural Pride 1 show on October 11, 1997. There, he faced Canadian heavyweight and UFC veteran Gary Goodridge. Taktarov suffered a frightening knockout loss, receiving additional strikes after being rendered unconscious, and had to be carried out of the arena on a stretcher. In later interviews, Taktarov attributed Goodridge's victory to the peak of an alleged anabolic steroid cycle, suggesting that Goodridge's subsequent string of losses indicated a downturn in this cycle.

On June 10, 2007, Taktarov participated in a celebrity boxing match against Dolph Lundgren, winning by decision after five rounds.

2.3. Return to Mixed Martial Arts and Retirement

Before his successful return to professional mixed martial arts in 2007, Oleg Taktarov had not competed in a bout since 2001. In November 2007, Taktarov announced his plans to return to MMA with BodogFight during an online radio interview. His comeback fight took place on November 30, 2007, against John Marsh at BodogFIGHT: USA vs. Russia in Moscow, where he secured a victory via submission (kneebar) 33 seconds into the second round. His final professional fight was on April 11, 2008, at YAMMA Pit Fighting 1, where he faced former UFC 14 and UFC 15 heavyweight champion Mark Kerr. Taktarov once again won by kneebar.

Oleg Taktarov officially retired from mixed martial arts with a professional record of 17 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws.

4.1. Film and Television Appearances

Taktarov has starred in a variety of films, including Air Force One (1997), 15 Minutes (2001), Rollerball (2002), Bad Boys II (2003), 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003), National Treasure (2004), Miami Vice (2006), We Own the Night (2007), The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007), Righteous Kill (2008), Predators (2010), Generation P (2011), Officer Down (2013), Viy (2013), Battle Drone (2018), Den of Thieves (2018), The Man from Toronto (2022), The Machine (2023), and Kvest (2023).

On television, he appeared in the episode "The Two" from season 3 of Alias, and in the NCIS season 5 finale, "Judgment Day: Part I & II". He also took a leading role in the Russian television series Ex-Wife. Additionally, Taktarov has contributed to the gaming industry, providing his voice and likeness for the video game Battlefield 3 (2011).

Beyond his acting roles, Taktarov has produced several instructional Sambo videos and collaborated with Vladimir Vasiliev on an instructional video titled Russian Mega Fighting, showcasing his continued commitment to martial arts education.

4.2. Filmography