Denis Zenikov: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

Who is Denis Zenikov?

Denis Zenikov is a Russian born judoka who now resides in Turku, Finland. Although Judo is a heavily European sport, Zenikov has traveled and competed all over the world. He’s won multiple medals at major tournaments and is active on social media as a competitor and coach who guides others to meet their own goals through his excellent, short breakdowns of judo throws and techniques.

Who is Denis Zenikov?

Denis Zenikov is a Russian born judoka who now resides in Turku, Finland. Although Judo is a heavily European sport, Zenikov has traveled and competed all over the world. He’s won multiple medals at major tournaments and is active on social media as a competitor and coach who guides others to meet their own goals through his excellent, short breakdowns of judo throws and techniques.

What this article covers:

• Who is Denis Zenikov?
• How Old is Denis Zenikov?
• How Much Does Denis Zenikov Weigh?
• Denis Zenikov Fight List
• Denis Zenikov's Best Fight of All Time
• Denis Zenikov Record
• Is Denis Zenikov Retired?

Zenikov is a highly accomplished Judo competitor who was born on May 10, 1991, in Krasnodar, Russia. Zenikov began his Judo training at a young age, and his passion for the sport grew as he progressed through the ranks. He quickly established himself as a formidable competitor and has achieved numerous championships and medals, mostly in europe, throughout his career.

Zenikov's competitive career began in 2008 when he participated in the Russian Junior Championships and secured the silver medal. He went on to win the gold medal at the same tournament the following year. In 2011, Zenikov participated in his first European Cup competition, where he took home the silver medal. Over the years, he has participated in numerous tournaments, both nationally and internationally, and has consistently performed at a high level.

Judo By Old Rules By Denis Zenikov

In 2015, Zenikov made a name for himself by winning the silver medal at the Grand Prix in Qingdao, China. He followed up this performance by winning the bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi in the same year. Zenikov continued to excel, and in 2016 he secured the gold medal at the Grand Prix in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He also won the bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Qingdao in the same year.

Zenikov's success continued in 2017 when he won the bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Tbilisi, Georgia. He also participated in the 2017 World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he represented Russia and made it to the round of 16. Zenikov's impressive performances have earned him the reputation as one of Russia's top Judo competitors.

Off the mat, Zenikov is known for his hard work, dedication, and humble personality. He is passionate about helping young people develop their Judo skills and serves as a coach at his academy and continues to produce online instructional content in both short and long form.

For his longer offerings, Zenikov has gotten together with us here at fanatics in order to film “Judo by Old Rules” for others to learn from. Judo is notorious for changing rulesets. The most recent controversy surrounded the dominance of the United State’s Travis Stevens’. After years of controlling opponents with leg grabs, leg grabs were removed from the game as a legal technique for reasons that we can only guess about. Regardless, Zenikov and Stevens are both advocates of traditional Judo;the one that allows attacking the legs. As we all know well by now, the legs represent 50% of the human body. 

So, as a result, Zenikov focused his teaching on the true style of Judo that he was raised on and is less concerned with recent Olympic changes to the way that the game works. Conveniently, jiu jitsu practitioners are allowed to grab the legs at any time- in fact, they’re required to by IBJJF regulation! You can’t fly into a guard without securing a grip first, which includes the legs. Judo’s loss is our gain!

Power Judo By Sagi Muki

How Old is Denis Zenikov? 

Zenikov was born May 10, 1991, making him 31 years old at the time of writing in Spring of 2023.

Denis Zenikov Family

Not much has been published about Denis Zenikov’s family in the Western media. He’s a well known figure in the Middle East and European judo scenes, but that doesn’t translate to many interviews in English;at least not yet!

How Much is Denis Zenikov Worth?

Denis Zenikov’s net worth is not public information, but he is a championship level judoka with a bright future ahead of him. We expect more tournament victories from him in the near future.

How Tall is Denis Zenikov?

Denis Zenikov’s height isn’t known. Height is not typically a publicly disclosed or relevant statistic in judo tournaments. The focus is more on an athlete's weight class and belt level.

How Much Does Denis Zenikov Weigh? 

Denis Zenikov is a lightweight judoka, according to the IJF (International Judo Federation). That weight class is capped at 83 kg and under, which is about 182 pounds. He began his career as a half lightweight, which is limited to 73 kg, or about 160 pounds. He’s experienced more success at the heavier weight limit where he now competes regularly.

Denis Zenikov Fight List

Denis Zenikov has competed in many international competitions, and there’s no running list of every match he’s ever fought. To make matters more complicated, many of Zenikov’s tournaments have been in the Balkans and published in Cyrilic languages. Zenikov has an extensive tournament history, including many top-level judo matches in the Eastern part of the world. 

In 2011, Zenikov participated in his first European Cup competition, where he took home the silver medal. Over the years, he has participated in numerous tournaments, both nationally and internationally, and has consistently performed at a high level.

Denis Zenikov's Best Fight of All Time

It’s always hard to choose one moment as the best fight of all time, and the records of Zenikov’s matches are published in Russian. As a result, we can’t identify a single match or opponent who was his greatest victory. What we can say is that he won silver at the 2011 European Judo Championships, which speaks for itself.

Who Did Denis Zenikov Lose To?

Because we can’t access much of Zenikov’s Russian records, it’s difficult to identify or name an opponent to whom he has lost. Still, all grapplers have losses on their records, particularly those in a sport that happens as fast as Judo. A single mistake can lead to an Ippon, or a major throw, which ends the match immediately. 

Denis Zenikov Record

Denis Zenikov has a lengthy competition record, but it mostly exists in Russian, so it’s not easily accessible. We can’t say what his overall record is, but we know it’s impressive due to his status in the Judo community, where he is very well respected and known especially on the European circuit.

Denis Zenikov Injuries

Judo is brutal on the body and so it’s likely that Denis has experienced many small injuries, even by the age of 31. Still, he hasn’t publicly withdrawn from any matches during his time as a professional, so he’s stayed relatively healthy. Like any combat athlete, it’s important for Zenikov to follow a regimented strength and conditioning program in order to stay in top shape for the professional competition circuit. 

Is Denis Zenikov Retired?

Denis Zenikov is not officially retired, although at 31 he’s no longer “young” for a Judoka. He’ll likely continue to compete frequently on the largest stages in Russia, Europe, and the world. We’re looking forward to more awesome technique videos and tournament results from Denis.

In addition to the brutal training he subjects himself to in order to grow as an athlete and as a competitor, Denis also films content with us here at BJJ Fanatics. It’s important for those of us who have internalized the passive, easy style of jiu jitsu to remember that there’s a vicious stand-up game to be learned as well!

"Effective Hybrid Judo Throws" is our instructional offering from Denis. In this series, Zenikov shares his expertise and unique approach to Judo throws, combining traditional techniques with modern, hybrid variations. The volume is broken down into multiple chapters, each focused on a different aspect of judo throws, such as grip fighting, movement, and combinations. The videos are filmed in high quality, with clear and concise instructions from Zenikov, and in-depth demonstrations of each technique.

Whether you are a beginner looking to improve your Judo skills or an advanced practitioner seeking new techniques, "Judo by Old Rules" provides a helpful introduction to enhance your throwing skills. With Zenikov's expert guidance, you will learn how to perform fit-ins and finish throws with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, taking your grappling game to the next level. 

Although the IJF has now banned these incredibly effective and traditional judo techniques by banning leg grabs, jiu jitsu encourages them! You can’t legally pull guard in the IBJJF without establishing a grip first. So watch this video, attack the legs from standing positions, and put your opponents down quickly with this top level instruction today from Russia’s judo superstar, Denis Zenikov. 

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