Alexander Sarnavskiy (, born January 17, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Sarnavskiy has mostly competed in his native Russia, where he is an M-1 Global veteran and former lightweight division in the Bellator Fighting Championships.
Alexander Sarnavsky was born in 1989 in the village. Gorky (Kazakhstan). In 1998 he moved with his family to Omsk, where his sports career began. The first discipline was kickboxing, which the young man mastered for 2 years at the Lokomotiv club and achieved success in regional competitions. Later, he was attracted by pankration and Alexander switched to hand-to-hand combat and combat sambo at the Saturn-Profi martial arts school. Hobbies grew into a professional approach at the age of 18, when Sarnavsky decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts. He was led to this step by the example of a coach, Alexander Shlemenko.
After compiling a record of 8âÂÂ0 (3 submission, 4 KO/TKOs), Sarnavskiy joined M-1 Global to enter their selection tournament. His opening round fight was against Maxim Kuptsov. Midway through the first round, Sarnavskiy caught his opponent in a body triangle and peppered him with punches from behind. He soon went for a rear naked choke, which forced the tapout from Kuptsov.
Sarnavskiy then faced Karen Grigoryan in the next round, defeating him by split decision, advancing him to the final.
Following the win over Grigoryan, Sherdog ranked him as the number one undefeated European prospect in the sport. Around the same time, Sarnavskiy was scheduled to face Artiom Damkovsky at the M-1 Eastern European Finals. The bout was cancelled however and Damkovsky faced a replacement opponent in the final.
Appearing at , Sarnavskiy faced Victor Kuku. Immediately, Sarnavskiy went after Kuku and went for a flying knee. Sarnavskiy's spinning back fist knocked Kuku down, before he hit Kuku with a barrage of punches to claim the knockout win.
Sarnavskiy made his U.S. MMA debut in Norfolk, Virginia on March 25, 2011, on the televised portion of . He faced late replacement Beau Baker and won the fight via submission in the second round.
On June 19, 2012, Sarnavskiy signed with Bellator, thus terminating the contract with M-1 Global.
Sarnavskiy entered as a participant in the . In the opening round, he faced Rich Clementi on October 19, 2012, at Bellator 77. He lost the fight via split decision (29âÂÂ28, 28âÂÂ29, 30âÂÂ26).
Sarnavskiy defeated Tony Hervey on November 30, 2012, at via unanimous decision (30âÂÂ27, 30âÂÂ27, 30âÂÂ27).
In 2013, Sarnavskiy entered as a participant in the tournament. He faced Brazilian Kickboxer Thiago Michel in the quarter-finals on January 31, 2013, at Bellator 87 and won via submission in the second round.
Sarnavskiy was originally scheduled to face David Rickels in the semifinals. However, Sarnavskiy fractured his hand during his first fight and had to withdraw from the tournament.
In the fall of 2013, Sarnavskiy entered the next Lightweight tournament. He faced Marcus Davis on September 27, 2013, at in the quarterfinals of Bellator's Season Nine Lightweight Tournament. After knocking Davis down with a punch, he took his back and eventually won via a rear naked choke submission.
Sarnavskiy faced Ricardo Tirloni in the semifinals and won via triangle choke in the first round.
Sarnavskiy faced Will Brooks in the finals and lost via unanimous decision.
After nearly a year away from the Bellator cage, Sarnavskiy was expected to face John Gunderson on October 10, 2014, at Bellator 128. However, Gunderson withdrew from the bout and retired from MMA fighting. Derek Campos stepped in as a replacement. An injury forced Campos out of the fight, Sarnavskiy eventually faced promotional newcomer Dakota Cochrane. He won the fight by submission in the first round.
Sarnavskiy faced Marcin Held on April 10, 2015, at Bellator 136. He lost the fight via verbal submission in the third round and was subsequently released from the promotion.
Sarnavskiy faced Jesse Ronson on October 3, 2015, at Abu Dhabi Warriors 3. He won via unanimous decision.
Sarnavskiy faced Murad Machaev on February 26, 2016, at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 21. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Sarnavskiy faced Dmitry Bikrev on April 29, 2016, at Fight Nights Global 46. He won the fight via submission in the second round.
Sarnavskiy faced Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov on September 17, 2016, at ACB 45: Silva vs. Magomedsharipov. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.
Sarnavskiy faced Ramazan Esenbaev on December 18, 2016, at ACB 50: Rasulov vs. Goltsov. He won thefight via TKO in the third round.
Sarnavskiy faced Eduard Vartanyan on April 15, 2017, at . He lost the fight via submission in the second round.
Sarnavskiy faced Shamil Nikaev at on February 16, 2018. He lost the bout via split decision.
Bouncing back from the loss, Sarnavskiy knocked out Herdeson Batista on November 10, 2018, at .
Sarnavskiy faced Aurel Pirtea on December 14, 2019, at . He won the bout, knocking out Aurel in the third round.
In the title fight at on September 29, 2020, for the ACA Lightweight Championship, he lost to the champion Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov by unanimous decision, breaking his arm during the bout.
In his first bout post recovery and title bout loss, Sarnavskiy faced Artem Damkovskiy at on February 26, 2021. He won the bout via rear-naked choke at the end of the first round.
Sarnavskiy faced Rashid Magomedov on September 24, 2021, at . He won the close bout via split decision.
Sarnavskiy faced Herdeson Batista on May 21, 2022, at . He won the bout via TKO stoppage under a minute into the bout.
Sarnavskiy faced Magomed Sulumov on February 23, 2024, at AMC Fight Nights 123 for the AMC Lightweight Championship, despite being hurt in the first round, Sarnavskiy came back to win the title and the bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.
|- |Win |align=center|44âÂÂ9 |Dmitry Bikrev |Submission (rear-naked choke) |BetCity Fight Nights 132 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:34 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|43âÂÂ9 |Akhmed Aliev |Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) |BetCity Fight Nights 128 | |align=center|3 |align=center|2:32 |Nevinnomyssk, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|42âÂÂ9 |Adriano Martins |Decision (unanimous) |BetCity Fight Nights 126 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Sochi, Russia | |- |Loss |align=center|41âÂÂ9 |Akhmed Aliev |Decision (unanimous) |AMC Fight Nights 125 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Sochi, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|41âÂÂ8 |Magomed Sulumov |Submission (rear-naked choke) |AMC Fight Nights 123 | |align=center|3 |align=center|4:32 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|40âÂÂ8 |Herdeson Batista |TKO (punches) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:42 |Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 39âÂÂ8 | Rashid Magomedov | Decision (split) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 38âÂÂ8 | Artem Damkovskiy | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:55 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 37âÂÂ8 | Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 5 | align=center| 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 37âÂÂ7 | Aurel Pirtea | KO (punch) | | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 0:39 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 36âÂÂ7 | Herdeson Batista | KO (knee) | | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:11 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 35âÂÂ7 | Shamil Nikaev | Decision (split) | | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Krasnodar, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 35âÂÂ6 | Eduard Vartanyan | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:47 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 35âÂÂ5 | Ramazan Esenbaev | TKO (corner stoppage) | | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 3:49 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 34âÂÂ5 | Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov | KO (punch) | | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:19 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 34âÂÂ4 | Jorge Patino | Decision (unanimous) | Abu Dhabi Warriors 4 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |- | Win | align=center| 33âÂÂ4 | Dmitry Bikrev | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:35 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 32âÂÂ4 | Murad Machaev | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 32âÂÂ3 | Leandro Rodrigues Pontes | KO (punch) | FEFoMP: International Tournament in Pankration | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:58 | Vladivostok, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 31âÂÂ3 | Jesse Ronson | Decision (unanimous) | Abu Dhabi Warriors 3 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |- | Loss | align=center| 30âÂÂ3 | Marcin Held | Submission (kneebar) | Bellator 136 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 1:11 | Irvine, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 30âÂÂ2 | Artak Nazaryan | KO (flying knee) | Union of Veterans: Cup of Friendship 2014 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:09 | Novosibirsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 29âÂÂ2 | Dakota Cochrane | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 128 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:32 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 28âÂÂ2 | Drew Brokenshire | Submission (rear-naked choke) | S-70: Plotforma Cup 2014 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:08 | Sochi, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 27âÂÂ2 | Yukinari Tamura | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ural Fight League: Resurrection | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 4:54 | Yekaterinburg, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 26âÂÂ2 | Alexander Butenko | Decision (unanimous) | Union of Veterans: Cup of Champions 2013 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Novosibirsk, Russia | |- | Loss | align=center| 25âÂÂ2 | Will Brooks | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 109 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 25âÂÂ1 | Ricardo Tirloni | Submission (triangle choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:08 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 24âÂÂ1 | Marcus Davis | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:40 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 23âÂÂ1 | Atchin Chaoshen Ne | Submission (armbar) | FEFoMP: Mayor Cup 2013 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:35 | Khabarovsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 22âÂÂ1 | Thiago Michel | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 3:43 | Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 21âÂÂ1 | Tony Hervey | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 20âÂÂ1 | Rich Clementi | Decision (split) | Bellator 77 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Reading, Pennsylvania, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 20âÂÂ0 | Maykel Becerra | KO (knee) | FEFoMP: Mayor Cup 2012 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:24 | Khabarovsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 19âÂÂ0 | Len Bentley | Submission (triangle choke) | Vladimir Zborovskiy Memorial 2012 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:50 | Omsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 18âÂÂ0 | Sergio Cortez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:46 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 17âÂÂ0 | ThomÃ¡à ¡ Deák | Decision (unanimous) | Union of Veterans: Cup of Champions 2011 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 5:00 | Novosibirsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 16âÂÂ0 | Marcio Cesar | Submission (rear-naked choke) | League S-70: Russia vs. Brazil | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:04 | Sochi, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 15âÂÂ0 | Doug Evans | Submission (triangle choke) | FEFoMP: Mayor's Cup 2011 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:40 | Khabarovsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 14âÂÂ0 | Beau Baker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:32 | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 13âÂÂ0 | Arsen Ubaidulaev | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:43 | Moscow, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 12âÂÂ0 | Victor Kuku | TKO (spinning back fist and punches) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:14 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 11âÂÂ0 | Aleksey Ershik | Submission (rear-naked choke) | FEFoMP: Cup of Vladivostok 2010 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:30 | Vladivostok, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 10âÂÂ0 | Karen Grigoryan | Decision (split) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Kyiv, Ukraine | |- | Win | align=center| 9âÂÂ0 | Maxim Kuptsov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:03 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 8âÂÂ0 | Mamour Fall | Submission (triangle choke) |rowspan=2| Saturn & RusFighters: Battle of Gladiators 2010 |rowspan=2| | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:50 |rowspan=2| Omsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 7âÂÂ0 | Timur Daurenuly | KO (punches) | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:35 | |- | Win | align=center| 6âÂÂ0 | Maratbek Kalabekov | Decision (split) | ProFC: Union Nation Cup 4 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 3:00 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 5âÂÂ0 | Vladimir Simonyan | KO (punches) | ProFC: Union Nation Cup 3 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:17 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 4âÂÂ0 | Kardash Fatakhov | TKO (punches) |rowspan=2| Siberian League: Tomsk Challenge |rowspan=2| | align=center| 1 | align=center| 8:40 |rowspan=2| Tomsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 3âÂÂ0 | Islam Mamedov | KO (punches) | align=center| 1 | align=center| 5:34 | |- | Win | align=center| 2âÂÂ0 | Andrei Koshkin | Submission (triangle choke) | Siberian League: New Hopes | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:15 | Novokuznetsk, Russia | |- | Win | align=center| 1âÂÂ0 | Rishat Gilmitdinov | Submission (triangle choke) | Universal Fighter | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:00 | Ufa, Russia |