If you’re a heavyweight fighter in Europe and you know the name Guram Gugenishvili, you’ve probably been put to sleep; if you haven’t heard of him, then you best learn how to sleep with one eye open and defend the rear naked choke, otherwise you’re facing your worst nightmares. He may as well become a doctor and licensed anaesthesiologist with the way he puts his opponents out on the canvass.

Fighting out of Makariv, Kiev Oblast in the Ukraine, Gugenishvili has quietly amassed an undefeated and impressive 8-0 record on his way to capturing the title of M-1 Selection 2010 Eastern European Champion. What has been most notable about this prospect is his agility; at 6’4” and 240lbs, Gugenishvili moves around the ring gracefully and stalks his opponents down like a starved lion hunting his prey on an African plain. He’s methodical, calm and systematic in his movements; in his mind, he’s won the fight before the sound of the bell and the course of action within the ropes is only a formality.

No one has been able to expose holes in his abilities to date. All but one of his victories have ended early in the first round and six of these come by way of suffocating, anaconda-like rear naked chokes. Simply put: Gugenishvili, and his team at Makfight, are proving to be top prospects in MMA and the global fan base has no choice other than to take notice.

In capturing the M-1 Selection Championship, Gugenishvili demolished Jur Dekker, Valery Scherbakov and Alexander Romaschenko and is now standing on the next steps of his professional career where the level and calibre of competition gets tougher.

With the Americas Selections Finals determining which heavyweight becomes champion in the US – Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner or Pat Bennett – Guram Gugenishvili clearly has his eyes on both as potential opponents in the near future.