Vladyslav Rudnev at The World Games: sambo gold at 79 kg and a move to MMA
In August 2025, Chengdu hosted The World Games the flagship event for non-Olympic sports. Combat samboreturned to the program, bringing together the world’s top fighters across weight classes and mixed team bouts. For Ukraine, it was a chance to test the depth of its school on a major international stage and the team seized it fully.
In the 79 kg division, Vladyslav Rudnev delivered a model final against a neutral-status opponent, Ovanes Abgaryan. The 3:0 scoreline was more than a points win it was a demonstration of control from the opening seconds to the final gong. Rudnev consistently banked exchanges through pace, timing, and a smart blend of striking with clinch wrestling.
After the medal ceremony he set his next bar clearly:
“My victory in Chengdu marks the end of my amateur career. Now my goal is professional MMA.”
This is the key detail not an emotional outburst after gold, but a measured transition to the next level.
Rudnev’s final was part of a larger picture. Over the same days, the Ukrainian team captured two more golds in combat sambo Andrii Kucherenko at 71 kg and Petro Davydenko at 88 kg. This package of results matters for two reasons:
- it confirms systemic preparation wins across different weights and styles;
- it amplifies resonance in the international media field not a one-off flare, but a trend.
Who is Vladyslav Rudnev: a champion’s profile
Vladyslav Rudnev is a product of Kyiv’s fight school and one of the most decorated Ukrainian sambists of his generation. His résumé includes four world titles in sambo and three European titles. A separate line is professional MMA, where Rudnev is on a spotless winning streak and shows an adaptive style: he couples sambo’s tactical discipline with a developed striking arsenal and composed ground work.
A few traits that explain his consistency at the top:
- risk balance he doesn’t force sequences that don’t create positional advantage;
- front-foot initiative he imposes his speed and rhythm;
- level changes he quickly chains striking entries with takedowns.
The final’s tactics: why 3:0 looks inevitable
The key to victory was distance control and disrupting the opponent’s plan. Abgaryan tried to drag the bout into explosive, strength-based clinches, but Rudnev broke those intentions apart:
- met entries with jabs and crosses,
- spoiled clinches with short shots and diagonal exits,
- banked points for initiative where the opponent paused.
A sum of small wins in each micro-exchange produced the big score on the board.
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What this gold means for Ukrainian sambo
First, restored agency: at The World Games, Ukraine’s team are not extras, but those who shape the discipline’s agenda. Second, bench depth: simultaneous wins in different categories signal internal competition and breadth of talent. Third, a bridge to pro leagues: when amateur sambo leaders move to MMA, they carry school, tempo, and recognition with them.
The move to MMA: why this is the right step now
For Rudnev, a shift to professional MMA isn’t an experiment but the next step in a planned career. He has plenty to port over from sambo:
- torso and center-of-gravity control an edge in clinch and grappling exchanges;
- economy of movement and timing vital in longer fights;
- mental discipline the readiness to win round by round without chasing a lucky knockout.
“After Chengdu focus on the pros” is a strategy where amateur titles are launch capital, not a burden.
World Games gold for Vladyslav Rudnev is the closing of his amateur chapter on a maximal note. For Ukrainian sport, it’s a signal of system maturity: when leaders win and plan a professional continuation, the school is doing its job right. And for the viewer, it’s a clear answer to why a 3:0 final wasn’t an accident, but the product of character, tools, and attention to detail.
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