NEFOR TEAM, featuring two MMA Series fighters, finished runner-up in the phygital combat sports competition at the Games of the Future 2026, which concluded Aug. 8 in Astana.

Archangel Michael took first place in the team standings, while RCC rounded out the top three.

NEFOR TEAM was represented by Artem Gudkov, David Samuel and Andrey Vasilenko, with all three fighters winning their respective matchups and contributing to the team’s second-place finish.

Gudkov defeated Mohammad Basem of Cagewinner Fighting 9-6, while Samuel dominated another Cagewinner Fighting representative, Mahmoud Abdin, 13-0. Vasilenko also shut out his opponent, beating SWORD’s Khama Worthy 12-0.

Eight teams, each represented by three athletes, competed for a $500,000 prize pool. The field featured fighters with experience in the UFC, PFL, MMA Series, RCC and other promotions.

Another MMA Series representative in action was PFL heavyweight Grand Prix winner and multiple-time PFL titleholder Oleg Popov. Competing for KUZNYA, the Russian cruised past Rasul Khataev of FUTURE NOMADS by a combined score of 12-0.

Each matchup consisted of two stages. The athletes first competed in the fighting game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves before moving to the octagon for an MMA bout. Scores from the digital and physical stages were then combined to determine the final result.

After 12 matchups, Archangel Michael topped the standings with 40 points. NEFOR TEAM finished second, with RCC taking third.

Full phygital combat sports results at Games of the Future 2026:

Maxim Fuks (Archangel Michael) def. Ivan Leonov (SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE) — 13-0
Artem Gudkov (NEFOR TEAM) def. Mohammad Basem (Cagewinner Fighting) — 9-6
Ivan Arkhipov (RCC) def. Yuri Chernyshev (SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE) — 12-4
David Samuel (NEFOR TEAM) def. Mahmoud Abdin (Cagewinner Fighting) — 13-0
Andrey Vasilenko (NEFOR TEAM) def. Khama Worthy (SWORD) — 12-0
Ryan Atmani (Cagewinner Fighting) def. Ricardo Chavez (SWORD) — 13 to -2
Temirkhan Temirkhanov (Archangel Michael) def. Evgeny Tabarovsky (SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE) — 13-2
Mukhamed-Afandi Asipov (RCC) def. Bogdan Przebelski (FUTURE NOMADS) — 9-6
Denis Zhukov (KUZNYA) def. Geraldo de Freitas (SWORD) — 9-4
Alexander Vasiliev (RCC) def. Vladislav Sukalenko (KUZNYA) — 7-6
Khalim Nazruloev (Archangel Michael) def. Nurzhigit Baimen (FUTURE NOMADS) — 13-2
Oleg Popov (KUZNYA) def. Rasul Khataev (FUTURE NOMADS) — 12-0

A total of 24 athletes representing eight teams competed in the tournament.