List of Sambo practitioners

Founders

• Vasili Oshchepkov was a researcher of different types of national wrestling and martial arts. He was ranked as a Merited Master of Sports of the USSR and an Honored Coach of the USSR. He was one of the founders of Sambo, a martial art developed in the Soviet Union. During the political purges of 1937, Oshchepkov was accused of being a Japanese spy, and was executed in prison as a result.
• Viktor Spiridonov was a researcher of various kinds of wrestling and martial arts, a Merited Master of Sports of the USSR, and a Honored Coach of the USSR. He was one of the founders of Sambo, a martial art developed in the Soviet Union.
• Anatoly Kharlampiyev was a Russian researcher of various kinds of national wrestling and martial arts, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR, and Honored Coach of Sports of the USSR. He was one of the founders of Sambo, a martial art technique developed in the Soviet Union. Kharlampiyev worked as a physical education trainer at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East, and also was a student of boxing, fencing, acrobatics, and mountaineering. In 1938, Kharlampiyev presented Sambo to the USSR All-Union Sports Committee, which recognized the martial art as an official sport.

  Hall of fame

• Murat Khasanov, 11-time world heavyweight champion in SAMBO, 8-time winner of the World Cup, 7-time champion of Europe, 19-time Russian SAMBO champion, Honoured Master of Sports of Russia, Awarded with the Order of Friendship.
• Irina Rodina, 11-time world champion, Multiple winner of Championships of Europe, Awarded an Order for Merit to the Fatherland of II class, “Sport Elite of Prikamye”, “Gold Belt”, “Sports Heroine” title
• Svetlana Galante, 7-time world champion, 8-time winner of the World Cup, Awarded a medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “For Military Valour” of II class, “Gold Belt”, Multiple winner of title “Sportswoman of the Year”
• Viktor Savinov, 6-time world champion, 6-time European champion, Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine
• Rais Rahmatulin, 7-time world champion, Multiple European champion, 5-time World Cup winner, Honored Master of Sports of sambo, Has a medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland of II degree
• Jeykhun Mammadov, 6-time world champion, 6-time European champion, Possesses an Order of Merit of Azerbaijan, Honored worker of physical education and sports
• Sergey Lopovok, 6-time world champion, 5-time European champion, 12-time World Cup winner, Honored Master of Sports, Awarded the Order of Friendship
• Vladimir Shkalov, 5-time world champion, 8-time champion of the USSR, Honored Master of Sports
• Huseyin Khaibulaev, 5-time world champion, 4-time European champion, 5-time World Cup winner, Honored Master of Sports of USSR
• Fedor Emelianenko, 4-time combat SAMBO world champion and seven-time Russian champion, Honoured Master of Sports in SAMBO, Awarded an Order for Merit to the Fatherland of II class, Order of Peter the Great of I class. Two-time Russian national Judo Bronze medalist, he was the last Heavyweight champion of the PRIDE Fighting Championships and was the consensus No. 1 ranked Heavyweight MMA fighter in the world for over seven years and undefeated for 10 years in all of MMA.

  Sports Sambo

• Alexander Pushnitsa, three-time Sambo World Champion, two-time European Champion, nine-time champion of the USSR, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR.
• Igor Kurinnoy, a Merited Master of Sport, three-time Sambo World Champion, a five-time Sambo World Cup Champion and director of Borec Sports Club.
• Vitaly Minakov, four-time Sambo World Champion, four-time Russian National Champion.
• Marina Mokhnatkina, six-time world champion, two-time European champion in sambo.She is also an eight-time Russian champion in sambo.
• Vladimir Kyullenen, 1972 European Champion and USSR Champion, 1975 World Champion and USSR Champion.
• Ahad Rajabli, World Champion and multiple champion of Azerbaijan.
• Chris Dolman, 1969 World Cup Champion, 1985 World Champion and 1985 World Games Champion. Eight-time Judo champion of Netherlands, European Judo silver medalist, four-time Greco-Roman wrestling champion of Benelux. Also the first primary trainer for Rings Holland and Dolman Gym, the mixed martial arts teams for which Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem and Gegard Mousasi all were members. Also trainer and co-owner of Chakuriki Gym.
• Ron Tripp, 1994 World Champion and 7 times World Medalist capturing 8 US National Titles and 6 Pan Am Golds during his career. A Judo champion and current general secretary of USA Judo. Tripp was promoted to 10th degree in sambo in 1995 and became America's first International Distinguished Master of Sport in 1996. Also in 1996, he served as World Team Coach at the Tokyo World Championships. At the 1993 U.S. Sambo Championships, he scored a total victory throw over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie, the only time Gracie was defeated in competition.
• Clinton Burke, NCAA wrestling finalist and All-American from the University of Oklahoma, was a four-time finalist in world competition beginning in 1987, when he earned a silver medal in the World Cup in Tokyo. He won World Championship silver medals in three different weight classes, closing his career in 1993 as runner-up in the World Championships in Kstovo, Russia.
• Lance Campbell Sport Sambo World Champion. One of only eight grapplers selected to compete in the Ultimate Submission Showdown.
• Amy Ehlenfeldt, an accomplished US judo player; she won the 1991 FIAS World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, becoming the first American woman to achieve victory over a female USSR competitor.
• James Chico Hernandez, First sambo champion to be featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch. He won the 2000 FIAS World Cup silver medal, FIAS Pan American silver medal,10 time USA AAU Sambo Champion, three-time British FIAS silver medalist, and bronze medal winner at the 2010 FIAS Championships of Scotland. 2009 American Sambo Association's Pioneer of American Sambo Award winner and he is the first sambo wrestler to appear in CNN/SI "Faces In the Crowd".
• Scott Sonnon, Honourable Master of Sports in Sambo from the AASF, was nominated for the American Sambo Association's Pioneer of American Sambo Award, World University Sambo Games Silver Medalist, USA Grand National and Pan-American Sambo Champion, and USA National Sambo Team Coach.
• Zurab Bekochvili, World Sambo Champion, Russian/U.S. Sambo & Judo Champion & a leading sambo authority in Florida, USA under American Sambo Federation. Zurab Bekochvili holds a notable victory in a 1993 sport sambo match against Scott Sonnon
• Archil Chokheli, two times world Sambo Champion and European champion, trained the Georgian national team in 2012 but was killed in an anti terror operation while serving as officer of a special operations unit.
• David Rudman, USSR, champion of the first International Sambo Tournament, at 70 kg, and first World Champion in the weight category up to 68 kg.
• Yury Rybak, Belarusian sport sambo champion, and World Judo silver medalist
• Andrei Kazusionak, Belarusian sport sambo champion, European Judo champion, and Olympian
• Jason Gabrielson, Three-time World champion, one-time World Cup champion, Pan-American Games champion, Sixteen-time US Champion competing in all age groups. Only US lifetime undefeated champion. Was nominated for the American Sambo Association's Pioneer of American Sambo Award. Is also a champion wrestler and judo competitor.
• Genrikh Shults, 6-times Soviet Sport Sambo Champion, the first captain of the USSR national Judo team, European Judo champion
• Khorloogiin Bayanmönkh, Sambo world champion and Silver medalist in Wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
• Khashbaataryn Tsagaanbaatar, Sambo world champion and Bronze Medalist in Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
• Dorjsürengiin Sumiyaa, 3-time Sambo world champion and Silver Medalist in Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
• Beslan Mudranov, 2007 World Sambo Championships Silver Medalist and Gold Medalist in Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

  Combat Sambo

• Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, 6-time World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Kirill Sidelnikov, 6-time World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Marko Kosev, 5 time World Combat Sambo Champion from Bulgaria.
• Vadim Nemkov, 4-time World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Aleksander Emelianenko, Fedor Emelianenko's brother, and is a 3-time World Sambo Champion.
• Blagoi Ivanov, Won the over 100 kg combat sambo gold medal at the 2008 World Sambo Championships, at 22 years of age he notably defeated Fedor Emelianenko.
• Islam Makhachev, 2016 Combat Sambo World Champion, and currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
• Victor Nemkov, 2011 World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Valentin Moldavsky, 2018 World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Sultan Aliev, 2014 World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Mikhail Zayats, 2008 World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Russia
• Rasul Mirzaev, World Combat Sambo Champion in Tashkent 2010.
• Igor Yakimov, World Judo Champion, as well a World Sport Sambo Champion and a medallist at the Combat Sambo World Championships
• Sergej Grecicho, two-time Lithuanian combat sambo champion, mixed martial artist
• Rumen Dimitrov, World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Bulgaria
• Rosen Dimitrov, World Combat Sambo Champion, and mixed martial artist from Bulgaria

  Mixed Martial Arts

• Khabib Nurmagomedov is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is the current champion in the UFC Lightweight division. He was a 2-time WCSF Sambo world champion.
• Andrei Arlovski, UFC heavyweight champion. He was also the Junior World Sport Sambo Champion, as well as a silver medalist in the World Sambo Championship and World Sambo Cup.
• Volk Han, 1987 and 1988 USSR Champion, 1987 and 1988 Russian National Champion, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR. Multiple freestyle wrestling champion of Dagestan. Also the first primary trainer for the Russian Top Team, the mixed martial arts team for which Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Sergei Kharitonov all were members.
• Oleg Taktarov, UFC 6 Champion, UFC '95 Ultimate Ultimate Tournament finalist, and actor.
• Sergei Kharitonov, a former PRIDE Fighting Championship competitor.
• Alexey Oleinik, Ukrainian mixed martial artist, and combat sambo competitor.
• Gokor Chivichyan is an Armenian judo, wrestling and sambo instructor, who resides and teaches in the USA.
• Megumi Fujii, a former MMA-fighter. She is known as the "Princess of Sambo."
• Dean Lister, an American mma fighter and 2x ADCC champion has a background in sambo.
• Satoko Shinashi, an accomplished Japanese mixed martial arts competitor often called the "Queen of MMA".
• Dennis Siver is a Russian-German mixed martial artist. He competes in the UFC Featherweight division.
• Yaroslav Amosov, Ukrainian sambo and MMA fighter in the welterweight category. He is a three-time world sambo champion, two-time European champion and Eurasia champion, European Cup winner, as well as the winner of many national and international competitions. Since 2018 he has been fighting in Bellator MMA.
• Shamil Zavurov, Russian mixed martial artist of Avar descent, who competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, he is the former M-1 Global World Welterweight champion.
• Andrei Kopylov, 1986 and 1991 Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR Champion, 1991 USSR Champion. Also primary trainer for the Russian Top Team.

  Other notable Sambo practitioners

• Vladimir Putin, Russian politician who has served as the President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.He was also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. He is a Judo black belt and national master of sports in Sambo
• Khaltmaagiin Battulga, Mongolian politician and Sambo wrestler who has served as the President of Mongolia since 10 July 2017. He was a Sambo World Champion.
• Victor Koga was a Russian-Japanese judoka and sambo instructor, known for introducing the art in Japan.