Misha Cirkunov
Active 2015–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 79.0
Scouting report
Misha Cirkunov was born in Riga in 1987, and his family moved to Toronto when he was 13. He played swimming, basketball, judo and karate, won a Greco-Roman national title in 2005 and freestyle national titles in 2005 and 2006, and became a Canadian citizen after the 2006 title. He holds a BJJ black belt, trains at Xtreme Couture in Etobicoke, and won a black belt division at the 2008 Pan No-Gi. He went 6-7 in the UFC from 2015 to 2022.
Peak ratings
Misha Cirkunov: a Latvian-born wrestler and judoka who finished on the mat
Cirkunov debuted at UFC Fight Night 74 on August 23, 2015 with a first-round knockout of Daniel Jolly, and his first four UFC wins came by knockout or submission: Alex Nicholson by neck crank, Ion Cutelaba by arm-triangle, and Nikita Krylov by guillotine at UFC 206. Volkan Oezdemir knocked him out in 28 seconds in May 2017 and Glover Teixeira stopped him that December. The UFC released him in late October 2022.
Cirkunov, one rating at a time
Boxing. 80. Daniel Jolly was knocked out by punches in round one in August 2015.
Kickboxing. 74. Oezdemir knocked him out with a punch 28 seconds into round one in May 2017.
Wrestling. 82. He won national titles in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, and Krzysztof Jotko beat him on a split decision in a middleweight bout in October 2021.
BJJ. 86, his best. Patrick Cummins tapped to an arm-triangle in round one in October 2018 and Jimmy Crute to a Peruvian necktie, a Performance of the Night.
Strength. 86. UFC.com ranked the Crute submission eighth among 2019's best submissions.
Durability. 78. Johnny Walker stopped him with a flying knee and punches in round one at UFC 235, and Ryan Spann with punches in round one in March 2021.
Cardio. 80. Wellington Turman armbarred him in round two in February 2022, when Turman replaced Makhmud Muradov.
Fight IQ. 80. A December 2020 fight with Spann was moved to March 2021 after Cirkunov withdrew with an injury.
BJJ at 86 and four finishes in his first four UFC wins
He finished Jolly, Nicholson, Cutelaba and Krylov, then added Cummins and Crute. Every one of his six UFC wins ended by knockout or submission. The Crute neck choke in September 2019 won a Performance of the Night. If a build needs a fighter who ends on the mat, he fits.
Kickboxing at 74 and four stoppage losses
Oezdemir, Teixeira, Walker, Spann and Alonzo Menifield all stopped him standing, the last with punches in round one in October 2022. His fights with Teixeira and Ovince Saint Preux were delayed or changed by injuries around him. A striker in another slot covers the gap.
Keep exploring
Closest light heavyweight profiles to Misha Cirkunov, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Ovince Saint Preuxbest strength 85 · weakest fight iq 80
- Ryan Spannbest boxing 85 · weakest wrestling 76
- Paul Craigbest bjj 92 · weakest wrestling 74
- Nikita Krylovbest cardio 86 · weakest wrestling 80
- Light Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Misha Cirkunov's strongest attribute, BJJ.
Draft Misha Cirkunov into your build
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Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Misha Cirkunov is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Misha Cirkunov's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.