5 Things You Might Not Know About Timofey Nastyukhin

Timofey Nastyukhin long ago established himself as a staple of the One Championship roster.

A highlight waiting to happen, the 32-year-old Russian has compiled a 7-4 record since he linked arms with the Singapore-based organization in 2014. Nastyukhin was a semifinalist in the 2019 One Championship lightweight grand prix but had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. He last appeared at on April 14, when he succumbed to first-round punches from Christian Lee in a failed bid to capture the lightweight crown at One on TNT 2.

As Nastyukhin prepares for forthcoming showdown with Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev at One Championship “Winter Warriors” on Friday in Kallang, Singapore, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He rose out of harsh lands.

Nastyukhin was born in Soviet-controlled Kazakhstan on Nov. 24, 1989 and later moved with his parents to Siberia, where he took up martial arts—he specialized in pankration—as a means to stop from being bullied. He now operates out of Novokuznetsk, a Russian city in southern Siberia, where temperatures have dipped as low as -53.9°F.

2. Adversity met him at the door.

The Absolute Championship Berkut alum made his professional debut at the age of 20 on April 26, 2010. Nastyukhin submitted to a rear-naked choke from Magomedsaigi Guseinov in the first round of their pairing under the Siberian League banner. He responded by winning his next nine fights, all via first-round finish.

3. His passport gets a workout.

Nastyukhin has competed in eight different countries during his 19-fight career as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 7-1 in his native Russia, 1-2 in Singapore, 2-0 in China, 0-2 in Indonesia, 1-0 in the Philippines, 1-0 in Thailand, 1-0 in Myanmar and 1-0 in Japan.

4. He belongs to an exclusive club.

When the Russia Top Team and Tiger Muay Thai product put away Eddie Alvarez with punches at One Championship “A New Era” on March 31, 2019, he became just the second man—Nick Thompson was the first—to knock out the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder outside the Octagon. Thompson buried Alvarez with punches at a Bodog Fight event in April 2007.

5. He excels at time management.

Nastyukhin boasts five sub-minute stoppage victories on his resume. He submitted Alexander Vasiliev with a rear-naked choke in 33 seconds on Oct. 20, 2013, dispatched Nikolay Romanschikov with a triangle choke in 46 seconds on May 1, 2014, punched out Mairbek Makhanov in 20 seconds on May 12, 2014, struck down Sayd-Hamzat Avkhadov in 54 seconds on June 22, 2014 and took care of Rob Lisita with a punch and soccer kick in six seconds on May 27, 2016.