Top 10 best Eastern European fighters in MMA history
By Keith Shillan
7. “Ice Cold” Igor Vovchanchyn
The person that holds the longest winning streak in the history of MMA is a fighter that many fans have never heard off. Ukrainian born fighter, Igor Vovchanchyn won 35 fights in a row between January 1996 to May 2010. Though some will argue that the streak didn’t consist of many wins over top fighters, it should be noted that he didn’t just defeat tomato cans. During this four year stretch of success, Vovchanchyn took down UFC tournament runner ups, Paul Varelans and Gary Goodridge, former IVC champion, Carlos Barreto, and the legendary, Kazushi Sakuraba. The streak didn’t end until he lost the finals of the 2000 Pride FC Grand Prix to UFC Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman.
Vovchanchyn’s success wasn’t just during the streak. He was widely considered one of the very best heavyweights and light heavyweights for years. He also picked up wins over UFC 14 and UFC 15 tournament champion, Mark Kerr, former King of Pancrase, Yuki Kondo, and MMA bad boys, Gilbert Yvel and Bob Schrijber.
Though he only stood 5-foot-7, the undersized Vovchanchyn was a striking wizard, sporting a 61-2 professional kickboxing record. The Ukranian had quick hands, crushing power, and very strong takedown defense. His overhand right is one of the most devastating punches in MMA history.
If the fight did hit the canvas, Vovchanchyn was well versed in Sambo, which is best shown with 10 submission victories.
Unfortunately, Vovchanchyn was forced to retire at just 32-years-old when he dropped two fights in a row and was unable to recover from being able to properly open and close his right hand.