Andrey Andreyevich Kopylov

Andrey Kopylov started practicing sambo when he was 17, before that he was not going in for sport seriously. Then he met a girl, called Lyudmila, who later became his wife. Her father was a master of sports of the USSR in sambo. He persuaded Andrey to take on sambo.

Aleksandr Fedorov, a famous coach, welcomed him with the words: “Well, come in and suit up.” Andrey was quick on the uptake and surprised everybody with his ability to grasp all the details of wrestling technique. A few weeks later, fighting with Fedorov himself, he managed to use a painful hold on his coach, who said to him: “You can be proud of yourself as you have used a painful hold on the world champion”. 

After three months, Andrey was sent to the National Junior Championships of 1983. He went there alone, without his coach. To everyone’s amazement, he came back with a silver medal. Andrey still considers that tournament to be the most important competition of his career. Moreover, in 1985 he became the champion of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia.

In 1986, Andrey participated in the Spartakiade of the USSR Peoples in Minsk. Winning the Spartakiade was considered even more prestigious than the USSR Sambo Championship. Kopylov easily reached the final, where he met with the wrestler Rocijavicius, to whom he lost in the final battle.

However, five years later, in 1991, he celebrated his victory in the USSR Peoples Spartakiade that again took place in Minsk.

Since that day, Andrey Kopylov had been aiming to become the Champion of the World. 

However, due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union sportsmen faced difficulties with financing, training, etc. Therefore, in 1992, Kopylov signed a contract with the Japanese company RINGS and competed on their team in mixed martial arts. 

Kopylov had the last fight of his professional career in Pride Fighting Championships in 2002 against Brazilian Top Team leader Mario Sperry, when Kopylov lost by technical knockout due to a cut in his mouth.

Landmark achievements

• Winner of International Tournament in Italy (1987) 
• Winner of International Tournament in the USSR (1988) 
• Winner of the Spartakiad of the USSR Peoples (1991) 
• Champion of the RSFSR (1989) 
• Silver medalist of the USSR Championship (1991)