Nestoras Batzelas (Greek: Νέστορας Μπατζέλας; born January 7, 1980, in Larissa, Thessalia) is a Greek MMA fighter and retired amateur freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's super heavyweight category.[1] Batzelas has been selected to the nation's Olympic wrestling team when Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and also trained as a member of the wrestling team for E.A. Larissa, under his personal coach Konstantinos Avramis.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nestoras Batzelas |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Born | 7 January 1980 Larissa, Thessalia, Greece |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 120 kg (265 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wrestling |
| Style | Freestyle |
| Club | E.A. Larissa |
| Coach | Konstantinos Avramis |
| Nestoras Batzelas | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Titan |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 8 |
| Wins | 6 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Batzelas qualified for the Greek squad in the men's super heavyweight class (120 kg), when Greece welcomed the world to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He filled up an entry by the International Federation of Association Wrestling and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, as Greece received an automatic berth for being the host nation.[2][3] He lost his opening match to 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Alexis Rodríguez of Cuba on technical superiority, but bounced back to dismantle Ukraine's Serhii Priadun with a 5–0 decision in front of the home crowd inside Ano Liossia Olympic Hall. Placing second in the prelim pool and thirteenth overall, Batzelas' performance fell short to put him further into the quarterfinals.[4][5]
Championships and accomplishments
editMMA
edit- No Limits
- No Limits Heavyweight Champion (1 Time)
Professional mixed martial arts record
edit| 9 matches | 7 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 6-2 | Ioannis Arzoumanidis | Decision (Unanimous) | MMA Challenge Pro 2 [6] | September 13, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Thessaloniki, Greece | For MMA Challenge Pro Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6-1 | George Katsinopoulos | TKO (Punches) | No Limits 23 [7] | May 11, 2014 | 3 | Athens, Greece | Wins No Limits Heavyweight Championship. | |
| Loss | 5-1 | Ricco Rodriguez | TKO (punches) | Final Fight Championship 10 | December 13, 2013 | 2 | 3:33 | Skopje, Macedonia | |
| Win | 5-0 | Julian Chilikov | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | GFC - Greek Fighting Championship 4 | May 18, 2013 | 1 | Larissa, Greece | ||
| Win | 4-0 | Emil Zahariev | Submission (Heel Hook) | No Limits 20 [8] | December 1, 2012 | 1 | Athens, Greece | ||
| Win | 3-0 | Emil Zahariev | TKO (RTD) | May 2012 | 1 | 5:00 | Thessaloniki, Greece | ||
| Win | 2-0 | Borislav Balabanov | TKO (Punches) | Throwdown MMA Championship | February 18, 2012 | 1 | Greece | ||
| Win | 1-0 | Marian Rusu | Submission (Punches) | GFC - Greek Fighting Championship 2 | June 4, 2011 | 1 | 3:27 | Athens, Greece |
Amateur mixed martial arts record
edit| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0-1 | Allen Crowder | TKO (Referee Stoppage) | Battle In The South VI | May 31, 2013 | 1 | 1:26 | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States | Fight was for the Heavyweight Title. |
References
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Nestoras Batzelas". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ a b Με 18 παλαιστές στο ολυμπιακό ταπί της Αθήνας [18 wrestlers in the Olympic mat for Athens] (in Greek). To Vima. 24 March 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ Abbott, Gary (29 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ^ "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 96kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Στον ημιτελικό ο Καρντάνοφ [Kardanov advances to semifinals] (in Greek). Nooz.gr. 27 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ Επική μάχη με νικητή τον Ιωάννη Αρζουμανίδη απέναντι στον Νέστωρα Μπατζέλα στο MMA Challenge Pro 2 ! (vid)(in Greek)
- ^ Ο Νέστορας Μπατζέλας διατήρησε το αήττητο σερί του στην Ελλάδα κόντρα στον Γιώργο Κατσινόπουλο Archived 2014-09-12 at the Wayback Machine(in Greek)
- ^ Νέστωρας Μπατζέλας: Το ήξερα ότι θα είναι εύκολο(in Greek)