This August, Britain will be holding a national championship for traditional British sports like archery and clay pigeon shooting. Amid the pageantry and tradition, an unusual competitor will be making his way to the ring: a mixed-martial artist battling it out for the titles.
Cyrus Pattinson, a 29-year-old professional mixed-martial artist from London, stands a chance of winning a gold medal at the championships after beating out 18 other fighters in his weight class. He may not be a household name yet, but his undefeated record and eye-catching performances have made him a popular figure in the community of mixed martial arts (MMA) enthusiasts. Since he turned pro in 2010, he has racked up an impressive 12 victories by knockout (plus one submission).
Evgenii Vazem, on the other hand, will be making his debut in the sport. The 24-year-old former pro boxer hails from Russia and has reportedly been training with UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
Whether or not he’s got the talent to go along with his aggressive fighting style is open to question. Evgenii has certainly never had a problem picking his fights. After knocking out his first opponent in just 64 seconds, he has gone on to claim victories over previously unbeaten amateur fighters. His unorthodox style has earned him the nickname “The Beast” and plenty of praise from his fans, but he also bears the stigma of having never been knocked out. As a professional, he has yet to suffer a loss.
Now, Evgenii will get a chance to redeem himself at the World Championship. After a hard-fought battle, he is the last man standing against a weary challenger. As the crowd starts filtering out of the sold-out O2 Arena, he takes a moment to appreciate his achievement.
Who would win a fight between these two fighters? Let’s find out.
Overall Physical Strength
It’s fair to say that both fighters come from a strong base of physical activity. Evgenii is a former professional boxer, and Cyrus is a former rugby player, so you’d expect them to have a decent level of overall physical strength. Perhaps even more impressively, they both come from an athletic family. Their father, Bill, played professional Australian rules football and was a rugby league legend in his time. Their younger brother, Ben, is also a rugby player and was named MVP in the English Premiership. Not to mention their uncles, Gary and Alan, who were both former professional wrestlers!
Based on our current knowledge, it is difficult to pick which of these two fighters would come out on top in a fight. Despite his brief boxing career, Evgenii has already put in the work and has trained rigorously to get ready for this competition. According to his team, he has been hit with over 30 variations of the straight right hand during his training sessions. One of his coaches, Andre Soukhamthite, even went as far as to say, “We haven’t seen someone hit with that hand movement since Floyd Mayweather.”
With over a decade of experience as a professional boxer, Evgenii knows how to box and how to move. He has also been training extensively in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is a full-body art that incorporates wrestling, boxing, and kicking techniques. These two factors alone give him a distinct advantage over his competitor.
Size and Strength Advantage
Although they come from different backgrounds, Cyrus and Evgenii have a lot in common, the most obvious being their height and general build. Both are well over 6 feet tall, with Cyrus measuring in at a towering 7 feet, so you’d expect there to be some significant size advantages for the young Brit!
As for their strength, Evgenii has unquestionably trained for this specific occasion, while Cyrus has mostly focused on his normal daily activities of running and working out. However, in recent years, Cyrus has been putting in the extra hours at the gym and has been preparing for this day with the same intensity as his rival.
Dependable Punch
If there’s one thing these two experienced fighters have in common, it’s that they both have an exceptionally reliable punch! Whether he’s been trained to be accurate or if he’s just really good at judging how much force to apply, Cyrus has managed to knock out every single opponent he’s faced. It’s certainly not easy to find a skilled amateur boxer who hasn’t yet tasted defeat.
Similarly, Evgenii has been able to vanquish all of his opponents with a straight right hand. To date, he has never been stopped by a punch and has a perfect knockout rate of 100 percent. His coaches and team are certainly proud of this achievement and attribute much of his success to his right hand, which they have been working hard to perfect.
Heart And Drive For Excellence
These two experienced fighters have also developed quite a work ethic over the years and have been driven to success by a burning desire to excel. Evgenii has been described as a natural-born leader who loves competing and being the best, and he has put this thirst for excellence into action, competing in various underground fights before finally being discovered by UK fight promoters. According to his team, he has been driven by a single-minded determination to become a professional boxer and prove himself to the world. Despite being the youngest and least-experienced fighter at the O2 Arena, he has the desire and heart to win.
Cyrus, on the other hand, made the decision to become a professional athlete at a young age and trained rigorously to achieve his dreams. He has always been determined to succeed and has worked hard to establish himself as a rising star in the MMA community. His coaches say he has the potential to go all the way and be a world champion, but until then he’ll just have to be content with his success. He’s not your typical warm-weather fighter and has the talent and drive to bring the snow in the summer.
Based on the above, it is clear that the size and strength advantages favor Evgenii. However, if we delve a little deeper, a few key factors give Cyrus the edge. First and foremost, he has been training for this day for years and has been preparing for this specific occasion with the same intensity as his rival. Furthermore, since he has been a professional for longer, he has had more opportunity to fine-tune his skills and he knows how to box and strategize.
Despite his experience, Cyrus still has a lot to learn and he knows it. This tournament is a perfect opportunity for him to prove himself against some of the best fighters in the world and for him to gain valuable experience. In addition to this, there will be three months of intensive coaching following the end of the competition, so even if Evgenii does go on to win the gold, he’ll have a lot of mentoring to do before he’s ready to face the world again. With more than 10 years of experience, this is certainly Evgenii’s day and he’s going to make the most of it.