Grigoriy Ponomarev, Russian MMA fighter (Mixed Martial Arts), has changed the octagon for the rugby field. He just signed his first professional contract as a player for Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Professional Rugby League, the Russian First Division championship.
Ponomarev, 25, is 1.98 meters tall and weighs 135 kilos. He has just come off a two-year sanction for doping. He tested positive for an anabolic steroid (dehydrochloromethyltestosterone) at the World Amateur MMA Championships in 2018. He gave up counting. He was disqualified and lost the silver he earned.
In his career as an amateur, he disputed seven fights with five victories. In professionals debut on December 25, 2020, against Gan Shakhmaral Dzhetpisov. On March 16, he repeated the victory by KO against Timofey Mishev.