MMA promoter Fighting Force has confirmed that judoka and Olympic bronze medalist Natasha Kuziútina, a Russian national, will face Colombian Karen Quintero in a professional MMA bout at 115 pounds.
The fight is one of the main attractions of the Fighting Force 11 world card in association with the American promoter Titán FC 81, scheduled for April 14 at the Fencing Pavilion of the Santo Domingo Olympic Center, and televised globally by UFC Fight Pass.
Kuziútina is a prominent Russian athlete and heroine, who has even trained alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, with photos and videos of her takedowns on President Putin going viral. In addition, Kuziútina is a multiple judo champion, she obtained a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, four medals at the World Judo Championship between 2010 and 2019, and eight medals at the European Judo Championship between 2010 and 2019. years 2009 and 2019.
In MMA, Kuziútina is just beginning her career having debuted with a submission victory in 2022 against Desiree Bennett, and a decision loss to Fatima Kline in 2023. Kuziútina seeks to develop her career as a professional in MMA, with a view to reaching the big sports leagues. She has already participated in Invicta FC, an exclusively female MMA promoter, and now she comes to the Dominican Republic with the Fighting Force and Titan FC organizations.
In addition to the women’s fight, the card includes 9 other professional fights, 2 between national fighters and former UFC athletes, such as Bruno ‘Carioca’ Santos who will face “Matador” Carlos Matos at 185 lbs.