He was only two years old when he arrived in Brno from Ukraine with his parents and had to learn among local boys how to fight for his place. Thirty years later, he is one of the most popular and visible faces of OKTAGON. Andrej "Vagabund" Kalashnik will step into the ring on September 12 at OKTAGON 93 against German fighter Kennedy "Bomaye" Rayomba. Read the story of the fighter and showman who became "Vagabund".

UKRAINIAN MORAVIAN

The family emigrated in the mid-nineties, when Kalashnik was only two years old. "In the nineties, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was an economic crisis, it was the wild nineties, so we moved here for a better life," he explains today. A little boy who didn't speak a word of Czech had to assert himself in the Brno group. "I had to show that I belonged here and build respect," he describes his first years in the new country. Today, with perspective, he calls himself "Ukrainian Moravian".

He was introduced to sports by his father, who took him as a boy to Bobycentrum, a Brno "fortress" where the toughest Muay Thai battles took place at the time. Wrestling was competitively pursued by his grandfather and father. "Unfortunately, I didn't know my grandfather, but my dad and I used to wrestle, wrestling is in our blood," says Kalashnik. At eleven, he fell for freestyle wrestling completely, and within a few years won four national championship titles among juniors and one among men. He attended a security-focused high school alongside future Olympic wrestler Adéla Hanzlíčková and future UFC star Jiří Procházka. At school, he also studied judo and karate.

He was eventually brought to the cage by a friend who invited him as a sparring partner to Brno's Jetsaam Gym. A few training sessions were enough and the decision was made. Kalashnik entered the world of MMA, where he currently holds a 13–6 record. The nickname "AK-47" was coined by his friends as a play on his initials and surname. "I have the initials AK, others called me Kalach or Kalashnikov, so I adopted the nickname," he recalls. He made his OKTAGON debut in April 2019 at OKTAGON Prime 1, where he defeated Gabriel Fukszo by TKO. Since then, he has compiled a record of nine wins and five losses in the organization.

FROM AK-47 TO VAGABUND

"AK-47" conquered OKTAGON with his fists; four years later came Vagabund, a comedic alter ego with which he won the hearts of fans. The turning point came at the end of 2023, right before his fight with Niklas Stolze. "Before the fight with Stolze, I was on the last fight of my contract and I thought to myself that I had to change something. Attention brings sponsors, so I had to draw attention to myself in ways other than fighting," Kalashnik explains his decision. He found inspiration among a group of longtime friends from Brno. "Brno locals surely know the KKRD Boys group, where I have friends and we call each other vagrants or vagabonds. We hustle through street life in Brno. The literal translation is wanderer; in the nineties, it was a street guy type," he describes the origin of the nickname, which he says people in the gym had called him for a long time as well.

It exploded completely in April 2024 in Birmingham. Kalashnik knocked out Liam Etebar in 43 seconds and, instead of a classic post-fight interview, grabbed the microphone and sang "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths in front of the English audience. The clip went viral on social media and "AK-47" became Vagabund overnight.

Today, 27,000 people follow him on Instagram, he launched his own YouTube channel Vagabund Lajf documenting his "journey through the tough life of a fighter," and is a frequent guest on the podcast MMA LETEM SVĚTEM. Another interesting fact about Kalashnik is that he can identify flags of various countries with 100% accuracy. Last June, he also participated in the reality show Farma Česko. When signing up, he admitted he couldn't even mount a shelf at home, let alone milk a cow. This June, he coached the Czech team in the Tipsport Cage Game project alongside Mikýř, taking it to a victorious finish together.

NEVER SHIED AWAY FROM BIG FIGHTS

In the cage, he relies on a wrestling foundation. To his ground game, he added heavy hands capable of finishing a fight in a few seconds. His style is a feast for the eyes for fans. He is creative, constantly active, with unexpected transitions between striking and wrestling. In OKTAGON, he has won the Tipsport Performance of the Night award three times, finished opponents in the first round four times, and has never lost by submission.

In September 2021 at OKTAGON 28, he took on Christian Jungwirth, who was famous at the time for being "unfinishable." Kalashnik needed only 63 seconds and a rear naked choke, with which he forced the German to tap out for the first time in his career. Kalashnik has also faced other famous names like Tomáš Meliš, Tato Primera, or Kaik Brito. Last year in Karlovy Vary, he knocked out experienced Máté Kertész in the very first minute of the fight.

SHATTERED DREAMS AND THE NEXT CHALLENGE

A series of three consecutive victories led him in November 2025 to a title fight with Ion Surdu for the vacant welterweight belt right at home in Brno. Kalashnik entered the cage with torn knee ligaments; less than two weeks prior, he was walking on crutches. Even so, he decided to fight. After a wild exchange, Surdu stopped him in the first round by TKO. "A loss on home soil, especially when I was so close to the title. My dreams collapsed," Kalashnik expressed after the fight. "I fought. I have nothing to be ashamed of," he added.

To the same city where his dreams shattered ten months ago, he now returns determined to fight for them again. At OKTAGON 93, Kalashnik faces another major challenge. For the first time in his OKTAGON career, he steps up to middleweight. And he immediately clashes with German fighter Kennedy "Bomaye" Rayomba. Will Kalashnik succeed in the new weight class and lead his comeback to a victorious end?

OKTAGON 93 will rock the Winning Group Arena in Brno on September 12, and Vagabund is one of the reasons you shouldn't miss it. Secure your spot and be there when he fights again for the heart of the crowd that holds him dear. Tickets available at the link below.

SZABOVÁ: PRVNÍ NÁVRAT K MMA PO PORODU

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