Archangel Michael dominate to claim Phygital Fighting crown

Archangel Michael have been crowned champions in the Phygital Fighting presented by Kazzinc competition at Games of the Future Astana 2026 – topping the standings with 39 points in a dominant day of action.

To win the title, Archangel Michael won all three of their matches on the night, taking maximum points from the digital stage every time and completing three TKOs in the cage.

NEFOR TEAM finished second on 34 points, while the battle for the final podium position went down to the last fight. RCC ultimately secured third with 28 points, just one point ahead of defending champions Kuznya.

The champions take home US$100,000 from the discipline’s US$500,000 prize pool, with NEFOR TEAM earning US$80,000 and RCC US$70,000.

One of the night’s standout bouts saw unbeaten MMA fighter Khalim Nazruloev of Archangel Michael face home team FUTURE NOMADS’ Nurzhigit Baimen, roared on by the crowd.

Nazruloev, who arrived in Astana with a perfect 13-0 professional MMA record, established the early advantage with a 6-2 victory in FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves before the two fighters stepped into the cage.

Both came out aggressively, trading spinning kicks before Nazruloev took the fight to the ground. Baimen refused to yield, fighting his way out of a dangerous position and reversing control shortly before the bell.

Baimen pushed for an early takedown in round two and forced Nazruloev against the cage, but the unbeaten fighter worked his way back into control. After Baimen escaped and returned to his feet, Nazruloev struck again, bringing him to the mat before landing a knee and following with ground-and-pound. The referee stepped in at 3 mins 21 secs to give Nazruloev the TKO victory.

“I prepared for a month specifically for this. Fighting is what I live for, so I was ready. The digital format is very cool – we’re used to fighting, so having this digital element makes it something new and interesting. It feels like the future, and I’m very happy to come away with the win,” said Nazruloev.

NEFOR TEAM also produced a strong run on their way to second place. Artem Gudkov recovered after Cagewinner phygital fighting’s Mohammad Basem took a 6-2 advantage in the digital stage, coming back in the cage to secure a TKO and a 9-6 overall victory.

After the bout, Gudkov said: “I really like this format. I love fighting, and having the digital part before the physical fight makes the whole experience even more fun. I didn’t feel any pressure after losing the digital part – the most important thing for me was to compete, give everything I had and enjoy the fight.”

David Samuel followed with a clean sweep against Mahmoud Abdeen. Samuel won the digital stage 6-0 before needing just 1 min 40 secs to secure the TKO, taking maximum points with a 13-0 victory.

Andrey Vasilenko then faced one of the most recognizable MMA names in the field, SWORD’sKhama Worthy. Andrey Vasilenko then faced one of the most recognizable MMA names in the field, SWORD’s Khama Worthy. The experienced American lightweight brought plenty of pedigree to the cage, but Vasilenko proved too strong on the night, sweeping the digital stage 6-0 before taking the physical contest by a unanimous decision to complete a 12-0 overall victory.

The battle for third remained open until the final fight of the night, when Kuznya’s Oleg Popov faced Rassul Khatayev from FUTURE NOMADS in the heavyweight division.

After a measured opening round, Popov stepped up the pressure in the second, quickly bringing Khatayev to the ground and controlling much of the action. Khatayev continued to resist and found an opportunity to turn the fight, forcing the contest into a third round.

Popov again took the fight to the ground in the deciding round and largely controlled proceedings – although Khatayev threatened late as he attacked Popov’s arm in an attempt to break free. Popov held firm to take the unanimous decision, which resulted in RCC finishing in third place.

Games of the Future Astana 2026 concludes on August 9, when the finals of MOBA Mobile MLBB presented by Freedom and Phygital Football UFL presented by Samruk-Kazyna will crown the tournament’s last two champions and bring 12 days of competition in Astana to a close.

Alongside Phygital+, the Games of the Future 2026 is being broadcast by leading media partners across the globe, including Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico), StarTimes (Africa), BIGG TV (France/Worldwide), ESR TV (USA/Worldwide), Play TV (Brazil), Unbeaten (Australia), and QazSport (Kazakhstan), ensuring fans around the world can follow the action as it unfolds.