Artur Kyshenko vs. Marcus Öberg

Artur Kyshenko vs Marcus Öberg

 2010-11-27
Scandinavia, Rumble of Kings
Stockholm Sweden.

Fight Analysis:

As you can see in the video, Artur starts the first round looking sharp and hungry, more so than we've seen him in his last few fights. Just look at his face right before the round starts: he's pissed off and totally focused.
He immediately starts stalking Öberg and throws a couple of hard shots to set the pace. Öberg doesn't seem impressed and tries to get in the game along with Artur. That works fine until Kyshenko counters perfectly against a one-two combination: when Marcus doesn't bring his right hand back to his guard, Artur nails him with a left hook, hard.
Öberg deserves a lot of credit for hanging in there because that could have been the end of the fight right there. Though this is clearly where the balance of the fight tips over in favor of Kyshenko. But he recovers and even lands a nice spinning back kick. But he does get nailed again in the closing seconds of the round.

In round two, the fight is on. Kyshenko brings out the big bombs and tries to chop Marcus down. Öberg on the other hand knows he's in trouble and tries to turn the fight into a brawl, bringing it right to Kyshenko. It goes back and forth until Kyshenko lands a perfect cross to the body; you can see Marcus wince as it lands. As a result, Artur throws a couple more body shots that visibly hurt his opponent.  Despite the pressure, Marcus lands a solid spinning back fist that shakes Kyshenko. But he replies with a series of leg kicks that all land and a few well placed punches.
Artur gets knocked down when Öberg throws a spinning elbow (which is prohibited)  but he gets back up and the round soon ends.

You can see both men are getting tired when round three starts but Artur is still strong enough to remain very aggressive. This pays off because he manages to score two more knock downs with his left hook. Öberg is clearly no longer in the fight, even though he tries to hang on. But Kyshenko has his number and keeps throwing power shots, never letting his opponent get back into the game again.

A clear win for Kyshenko.

The left hook that changed it all.

Strengths:

• Artur was in much better shape than in his last fights. His endurance has clearly improved.
• His left hook is still devastating and he knows how to place it. 
• Kyshenko is feared for his punches to the body and this fight proves his excellence in that area once again. Öberg was visibly in pain when Artur landed some of his shots.
  

Weaknesses:

•  His endurance is still not good enough. It was better than before, but not at the level where it should be. He should be able to go full tilt for three rounds straight.
• Despite Öberg repeatedly throwing a good left knee, Artur doesn't defend enough against it. He's very lucky he didn't get KOed by it because it came close to hitting the button several times. 
• Artur's defensive footwork was almost nonexistent. At his best, he's able to move around the ring with speed and ease, making opponents miss at his leasure. But here, he just kept walking forward and as a result sometimes walked right into a punch. 

Conclusion:

It looks like Artur's decision to change gyms is paying off. He looked a lot better than in his previous fights and was much more aggressive. Especially in the first round, he looked like his former self again: clean, crisp and precise. But it was sad to see his endurance was still not good enough to keep him at that level throughout the fight. And that's just not going to cut it against guys like Petrosyan or Sauwer who do have the endurance for an all out brawl.

All in all, this was a good fight for Artur and he's clearly on the right track. Mike Passenier seems to have succeeded in making Kyshenko more aggressive again, which paid off in this fight. Though it's too soon to tell how Artur will develop as a fighter now that he's getting used to a new coach.

Perhaps it's best to be cautiously optimistic right now: Kyshenko is definitly moving in the right direction. Let's hope he keeps on improving his endurance and fight game so we can look forward to his upcoming fights.

Artur Kyshenko vs Rayen Simson

Artur Kyshenko vs Rayen Simson
2006-06-30

K-1World MAX 2006 Tournament Final

Yokohama, Japan

Part 1:

Part 2:

Fight Analysis:

Artur begins the fight like he's on a mission: he's very aggressive and puts Simson under pressure right away. He walks forward continuously and places blow after blow, combination after combination. Rayen seems a bit lost at first though he does fight back: he places several good counter punches and lands a couple of nice jabs. But Kyshenko doesn't seem to care, he keeps going in and places a LOT of hooks to the body. The first round is definitely his.

Round two starts with both fighters trading leg kicks. They take turns slamming their shin into the opponent's upper leg and aren't holding back. This goes on for a while but they soon grow tired of the pain and move on. Simson does place a good lead hook in one of those exchanges.  Artur reacts by switching to mainly boxing and going to the body. He pours out the power-punches, particularly in a jab-cross-lead hook combination, forcing Rayen to cover up.
But this costs him a lot of energy and he has to take his foot off the pedal near the end of the round, giving Simson the opportunity to fight back a bit.

Round three gives us a totally different Kyshenko: he knows he's leading on points and only works to secure that lead. He tries to stick and move while throwing a lot of techniques at his opponent. Artur sacrifices power for speed and sheer volume of techniques. Simson gets a few shots in but he never manages to pin Artur down. Later in the round, Kyshenko starts to tire and his techniques seem to lack power. But Rayen doesn't capitalize on this and the fight ends.

Artur Kyshenko wins on points

Strengths:

• Some incredible body shots. Artur shows us one of his signature moves, over and over, especially in the first round. 
• Great fighting spirit. Kyshenko is aggressive from the first second in and tries to force a knockout. He doesn't get one but that's not for lack of trying.
• When Simson puts him under pressure with his leg kicks in the beginning of the second round, he wises up in time to realize he's not going to win that game. So he switches to something he's better at than his opponent. Good tactical thinking.
  

Weaknesses:

• He still walks into punches he could have avoided. Artur often stands still right in front of Simson when he finishes his attack. That gives Simson all he needs to counter. Not so smart. 
• Kyshenko drops his hands too much after landing punches. Even at the beginning of the fight when he is still fresh, you can see this happen way too often. Rayen manages to use it against Artur a couple of times but never lands with enough power to do serious damage. Which is a blessing for Kyshenko because otherwise he would have been knocked out.
• Cardio,cardio,cardio. Artur does a lot of work but he runs out of gas in the second round. For a guy at his level, this shouldn't happen. As a result, he is unable to hit really hard in the last round. Had he faced a stronger opponent, this could have been a nightmare for him.

Artur Kyshenko doing his trademark body blow

Conclusion:

Not a bad fight. Artur shows a lot of heart and determination. At times, his timing and techniques are sublime. But because his defense and conditioning isn't at the same level, he gets a couple of close calls where he could have been dropped to the canvas.

It looked like this fight gave him some more experience against tough fighters who aren't impressed by his reputation and who can take a beating without giving up right away.  Given that he'll go on to lose his next two fights on decision, he probably didn't learn that lesson well enough at that time.

Artur Kyshenko vs. Mohammed "Mootje" Khamal

Artur Kyshenko vs. Mohammed "Mootje" Khamal

2010-10-03

K-1 World MAX 2010 Final 16

Seoul, South Korea

Fight Analysis:

The first round shows a tentative Kyshenko who is feeling out his opponent. Lots of push kicks but they usually get caught and used against him. Khamal is not impressed and seriously out-punches Artur: his hand speed is a step above Artur's, so are his combinations. Kyshenko is lucky his guard is closed tight because the gloves are coming in from all directions. This round clearly goes to Mohammed.

Round two has Kyshenko doing a lot of work: he's much more aggressive than before and scores a lot of points. Artur sticks and moves and it looks like Khamal doesn't really know what to do right away: he just closes his guard and takes the punishment. But he isn't hurt, he just keeps on walking forward.

Khamal only takes action in the last seconds of the round but he does place a solid left hook to the body which seems to hurt Artur. 

This round is for Artur, for sure.

The last round starts off hectic: both fighters go at it hard. They both try to score as many points as possible and pour out tons of combinations. At first it looks like it can go either way but the longer the round goes on, the clearer it becomes: Mootje Khamal is out-classing and out-working Artur Kyshenko. He just scores more than Artur does and even manages to catch him with a nice overhand right. 

Khamal is the winner of this fight; no questions asked.

Artur Kyshenko vs Mohammed Mootje Khamal: Kyshenko getting manhandled against the ropes

Strengths:

• Artur has amazing talent, this is is still evident in this fight. He technique is good and so is his timing. Nothing wrong there. When he lands, you see perfectly executed punches and kicks.

Weaknesses:

• Unfortunately, there are a lot of bullets in this category so let's get started...
• Kyshenko starts too slowly. In the first round, he Khamal gives about three techniques back for every single one he receives from Kyshenko. Artur should have noticed that right away and changed his game-plan from trying out Mohammed's defense to putting him under pressure.
• As of round three, Artur was running on empty. He was still firing shots but they lacked power and determination. Maybe he's having too hard a time cutting weight and it's eating his stamina? Who knows? But he sure wasn't in the necessary shape for a three-round brawl. 
• His techniques lacked stopping power. Artur can hit plenty hard, as proven in many other fights but in this one, his punches and kicks didn't slow down his opponent. Which forced him to fight a running battle, which is always a tough thing to do. Especially if your stamina isn't up for it...

Conclusion:

Mohammed "Mootje" Khamal deserved the win in this fight. Kyshenko didn't fight at 100% for reasons we don't know just yet. Regardless what these may be, he didn't do enough to take the win here.
As of right now, I'd say his future is questionable. In the last few fights, he lacked the power and stamina that made him such a dangerous fighter a few years ago. But now, he's mainly getting by on his talent and timing. That won't do as he fights stronger opponents who are hungry and out to take his place.
I hope his team and coaches are aware of this and can do what is needed to get his career back on track. Fingers crossed...

Artur Kyshenko vs Vladimir Moravcik

Artur Kyshenko vs.Vladimir Moravcik 
2009-12-12
 K-1 ColliZion 2009 Final Tournament
Prague, Czech Republi

Fight Analysis:

The first round starts with a lot of testing and feeling each other out. Moravcik is very active but Artur does manage to land a few shots to the body and places a good high kick. Near the end of the first round, he becomes more dominant but were I a judge, I'd give it to Vladimir.

In the second round, Moravcik picks up the pace right away: He puts Kyshenko under a lot of pressure with punches and kicks, basically driving him backwards, off balancing him. Artur is a bit at a loss and can't seem to find a way to take the initiative; he mainly tries to counter.

In the second half of the round, he starts fighting back a bit more but still isn't leading the fight. In fact, Vladimir puts him under pressure and drives him into the corner when Kyshenko pulls a rabbit out of his hat: a perfectly timed high kick to the back of his opponent's the neck.  Moravcik drops to the canvas and is counted out, even though he wants to continue.

The high kick that finishes the fight

Strengths:

• Artur keeps on using footwork, he often disturbs the pace of his opponent with a few well chosen steps.
• Despite being on the receiving end of a lot of punches and kicks, not a lot of them get through. Kyshenko's defense did its job.
• He keeps mixing it up, trying different techniques all the time to keep his opponent guessing.

Weaknesses:

• This is not one of his better fights. He looks tired and slow when you compare this fight to some of his others. Maybe he had an off day, maybe he cut weight too much, who knows?  But not his most stellar performance in the ring.
• Especially in the first round, the timing of his punches is off. He misses and swings wide a lot with hooks.

Conclusion:

This fight wasn't all that impressive. Looking at both rounds, I'd say Moravcik was winning on points, even if not by all that much. But Kyshenko is always dangerous and you can't afford many mistakes against him. Vladimir's guard isn't in place when the kick lands and he pays the price for it. 

Hopefully there'll be a rematch soon, because Moravcik certainly deserves one. 

Artur Kyshenko vs Chi Bin Lim

Artur Kyshenko vs Chi Bin Lim 

2007-07-21 

K-1 Fighting Network KHAN 2007 

Seoul, Korea

Fight Analysis:

Artur starts the first round with pretty much nothing else but walking forward. He seems determined to go toe-to-toe with Lim. At first, he seems to have a little trouble finding the right distance but near the end of the round, his timing and distance is pretty good.
Lim puts up a good fight though. He doesn't let Artur just walk all over him and tries his best to keep him at bay.

Early in the second round, Kyshenko throws a beautiful jab-lead hook- right leg kick combo and nails his opponent with his shin. You can clearly see chi Bin Lim is hurting and Kyshenko goes after him with a couple more leg kicks. A couple 8-counts later the fight is all over.

Strengths:

• Once again, Artur combines speed and power well.
• He shows some nice counters, especially in the last part of the first round.
• Despite moving forward all the time, he keeps his defense up relatively well.
  

Weaknesses:

• In the first part of R1, he walks into a couple of his opponent's shots. It looks like he was a bit overconfident or didn't have the guy's measure yet. Either way, he should have been a bit more careful. As mentioned above, he kept his guard up and wasn't punished for it.
• With some more explosiveness in his footwork, he could have put a lot more pressure in the first round. Instead of exploding off the line, he often just casually steps forward to strike. With his reach advantage, this could have made his techniques even more powerful and harder to defend against.

Conclusion:

Another good fight by a Kyshenko.Though he seems a bit careless in the beginning, he stays focused and finishes his opponent off without rushing it when he smells blood.

Artur Kyshenko vs. Su Hwan Lee

 Artur Kyshenko vs. Su Hwan Lee

2007-06-2

K-1 World MAX 2007 World Tournament Open

Tokyo, Japan

Fight Analysis:

Kyshenko starts the fight by aggressively moving forward, not letting his opponent get set. He quickly surprises him with a right high kick and then lands a solid left hook to the body which hurts Lee and slows him down.

 Artur smells blood and increases the tempo, landing several shots to the body by setting them up well with punches to the head and leg kicks. After landing another right high kick, he increases the pace even more and Lee has a hard time keeping up.

Near the end of the round, Kyshenko slows down a bit and Lee seems happy for this chance to get his head above water again.

Lee starts the second round by taking some more initiative and Artur seems to let him do so at first. Kyshenko tries a couple power shots before unloading a flurry of straight punches before landing a long left hook that snaps Lee's head to the side and leaves him wobbling. He narrowly avoids the KO when the referee intervenes to give him an 8-count.

Kyshenko takes out the axe and starts chopping, hard. He finishes it off with another long left hook, sending Lee to the canvas and ending the fight.

Strengths:

• Artur shows his typical snappy punches and kicks. A great combination of speed and power.
• He varies his attacks well, making it hard for Lee to anticipate them.
• He doesn't rush blindly when he goes for the KO. He stays cool headed.
  

Weaknesses:

• He walks into several of Lee's punches in the beginning of the first round. Had Lee been a power puncher, he could have been hurt or even KOed.
• He has a tendency to flail and miss with long hooks when he throws power shots. As long as he lands, he's fine but when he misses, he's wide open to counters.
  

Conclusion:

A good fight by a young Kyshenko. He shows a lot of maturity for such a young fighter. Lee is perhaps not the strongest opponent but Artur did a good job and took the fight too his doorstep.