As a fighter, Maxim Grishin calls the Red Devil Sport’s Club his second home in his native Russian mother land. Not bad for a second home considering it’s shared by MMA notables such as the great Fedor Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Amar Suloev and Arman Gambaryan. Being around top calibre athletes has certainly rubbed off on this heavyweight prospect as he has a hard-fought and well-earned 7-4 record as a professional mixed martial artist.

Since making his debut against Gela Getsadze at the World Pancration Championship, where he won via unanimous decision, Grishin has been on a tear winning five of his last six bouts and is currently riding a three-fight streak; a streak which earned him the title of M1 Selection 2010 Eastern Europe Champion, after he locked in a decisive first-round, rear-naked-choke submission victory over Alexander Volkov, and has him holding the 35th position on FIGHT! Magazines heavyweight rankings list.

Tipping the scales at just 215 pounds, Grishin would be considered a small heavyweight fighter in comparison to his counterparts in North America but don’t be fooled by his stature; Grishin is as strong and powerful as any heavyweight today and his striking capabilities are as fast as a lightweight with the precision of a surgeon. When you combine this striking style with his natural power, there’s no wonder why five of his seven victories come by way of TKO.

As a prominent figure in M-1 Global’s heavyweight stable, there is no mistaking that the road to the heavyweight championship belt goes through Maxim Grishin and the winner of the Americas Selection Finals bout between Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner and Pat Bennett best get back to training in preparation for what lies ahead.