Biography(references)Vovchanchyn said that growing up, he caused trouble and got into street fights and different kinds of mischief. Due to his antics, there was a popular story in circulation that whenever Vovchanchyn became upset the villagers would ring a bell in the center of town which would alarm everyone to stay in their houses until he had calmed down. At age 17, he moved to Kharkiv and began competing in track and field, running the 100m dash and throwing the discus. Due to his love for fighting, he later moved to boxing under trainer Oleg Ermakov. In 1993, he met Eugenia Borschevskaya, general secretary of the All Eurasian Kickboxing Federation.
Combat ApproachHis boxing utilized an ample pattern of looping punches, among them the casting punch, and he specialized in an aggressive counterpunching style in order to make up for his short reach. Vovchanchyn also displayed significant grappling skills, utilizing his sambo background, and would work a vicious ground and pound offense with short and hard strikes from the top. He was able to surprise many with his defensive guard and dexterity on the ground despite being known primarily as a striker, and displayed this ability against submission fighters such as Carlos Barreto, Mark Kerr and Valentijn Overeem among others.
Fighter Trivia(references)Vovchanchyn is married and has one daughter, named Zlata. He identifies himself as neither Russian nor Ukrainian, but as a Slav. In a 2008 interview, Vovchanchyn stated that since retiring from competition he runs a local café-bar called 'Champion'.
Awards & Accolades
Ukrainian Combat Martial Arts League: Honour of the Warrior Runner-up (1995)
Ukrainian Combat Martial Arts League: Ukrainian No Rules Championship Champion (1996)
Mr. Strongman SEKAI: Mr. Strongman SEKAI Champion (1996)
Donetsk No Rules Fighting: Ukrainian Octagon Champion (1996)
Donetsk No Rules Fighting: Ukrainian Octagon 2 Champion (1996)
International Fighting Championship: International Fighting Championship 1 Champion (1996)
International Absolute Fighting Council: 1st Absolute Fighting World Cup Pankration Champion (1997)
International Absolute Fighting Council: Absolute Fighting Russian Open Cup 3 Champion (1997)
World Vale Tudo Championship: World Vale Tudo Championship 5 Tournament Champion
World Vale Tudo Championship: WVC 6 Super Fight Champion (one time)
World Vale Tudo Championship: WVC 7 Super Fight Champion (one time)
InterPride: InterPride 1999: Heavyweight Final Champion (1999)
PRIDE Fighting Championship: 2000 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Runner-Up
PRIDE Fighting Championship: Second most bouts in PRIDE history (27)
PRIDE Fighting Championship: Second most wins in PRIDE history (18)
PRIDE Fighting Championship: Third most wins via KO/TKO in PRIDE history (10)
Twitter Timeline
Fighter Videos
0
Fight Outcomes - WinsLosses
Skills RadarWhat's This?
This radar shows the proficiencies of the fighter compared to the rest of the fighter's main division. Shows the % of others this fighter is better than in that category. Striking % refers to striking accuracy and Takedown % refers to takedown accuracy More area is better.
Fightpages Web - Notable OpponentsWhat's This?
Expand to full graph
This graph shows high-profile fighters and how they are connected to each other. The lines are fights that connect the fighter avatars with the color of the line representing the outcome for the fighter. Click on the fighters and the lines for relevant info!
