4,745 articles
Vitaly Minakov (Виталий Викторович Минаков)
Vitaly Minakov (Виталий Викторович Минаков), born 1985, Russian heavyweight MMA fighter and two-time sambo world champion; Bellator heavyweight champion 2013-2016 (stripped), record 22-2, first loss to Cheick Kongo in 2019.
Vitezslav Macha
Vítězslav Mácha (1948–2023), Czechoslovak Greco-Roman wrestler; Olympic gold at 74 kg, Munich 1972, silver Montreal 1976; world champion 1974 and 1977; European champion 1977.
Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort, "The Phenom", Brazilian MMA fighter, Carlson Gracie black belt; won UFC 12 heavyweight tournament at 19, fourth UFC light heavyweight champion, retired after UFC 224 loss to Machida in 2018, UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Vitor Petrino
Vitor Petrino (Vitor Petrino Malaquias Salvo), Brazilian UFC heavyweight born 1997 in Santa Luzia; 15-2 record, Contender Series graduate, unbeaten at heavyweight with wins over Lane, Petersen, Asplund, and Spivac.
Vittorio Tamagnini
Vittorio Tamagnini, "L'uragano di Amsterdam", Italian bantamweight boxer, 1928 Olympic gold medalist (Italy's first in boxing) and European professional champion 1936-37; born and died in Civitavecchia.
Viva Van
Viva Van (ビバ・バン), the Hellbent Vixen, is a Vietnamese-American pro wrestler from Los Angeles who debuted in 2018, trained under Rikishi, signed with AEW in December 2024, and won the VPW Women's Championship in 2025.
Vladimer Aptsiauri
Vladimer Aptsiauri (ვლადიმერ აფციაური), Georgian foil fencer for the Soviet Union; 1988 Seoul Olympic team foil gold, 1982 world team champion, later Kuwait coach and Georgian Fencing Federation vice-president.
Vladimer Khinchegashvili
Vladimer Khinchegashvili (ვლადიმერ ხინჩეგაშვილი), Georgian freestyle wrestler born 1991 in Gori; Olympic gold 57 kg Rio 2016, silver 55 kg London 2012, world champion 2015, three-time European champion, later mayor of Gori and Georgian MP.
Vladimir Kozlov
Vladimir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius), Ukrainian-born wrestler billed from Moscow; WWE 2006-2011, undefeated 2008 monster heel, WWE Tag Team Champion with Santino Marella; later IGF Japan, Impact commentary, and Wolf Warrior II actor.
Vladimir Nazlymov
Vladimir Nazlymov (Владимир Назлымов), born 1945 in Makhachkala, is a Soviet sabre fencer with 6 Olympic medals including 3 team golds, a 10-time world champion, and later Ohio State's NCAA-title fencing coach.
Vladimir Nevzorov
Vladimir Nevzorov (Владимир Михайлович Невзоров), born 1952 in Maykop, Soviet judoka and sambo competitor; first Soviet world judo champion (Vienna 1975) and 1976 Montreal Olympic gold medalist at -70 kg.
Vladimir Safronov
Vladimir Konstantinovich Safronov (Владимир Константинович Сафронов), Soviet featherweight boxer, first Soviet Olympic boxing champion, winning gold at Melbourne 1956 by beating Tommy Nicholls; two-time USSR champion and later sports art editor.
Vladimir Smirnov (olympedia 23606)
Vladimir Viktorovich Smirnov (Владимир Викторович Смирнов), Soviet foil fencer, 1980 Olympic foil champion; died 1982 when Matthias Behr's broken blade pierced his mask; not the Kazakh skier.
Vladimir Yumin
Vladimir Yumin (Владимир Сергеевич Юмин), Soviet freestyle wrestler, 1976 Olympic bantamweight champion, four-time world champion (1974, 1977-79), three-time European champion; FILA Hall of Fame 2009; died 2016.
Vladislav Larin
Vladislav Larin (Владислав Владимирович Ларин), Russian taekwondo fighter born 1995 in Petrozavodsk; Tokyo 2020 Olympic +80 kg gold for ROC, 2019 world champion at -87 kg, later an Individual Neutral Athlete.
Vladislav Pavlovich
Vladislav Yuryevich Pavlovich (Владислав Юрьевич Павлович), born 1971 in Moscow, Russian foil fencer; 1996 Atlanta Olympic team foil gold with Shevchenko and Mamedov, 1995 World silver, later Russian national head coach 2009–2012.
Vlado Lisjak
Vlado Lisjak (born 1962, Petrinja) is a Croatian Greco-Roman wrestler who won Olympic gold for Yugoslavia in the 68 kg class at Los Angeles 1984, pinning world champion Tapio Sipilä in 57 seconds; later Croatian national team coach and director.
Voldemar Vali
Voldemar Väli (Voldemar Vali), Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler (1903–1997); Olympic featherweight gold Amsterdam 1928, lightweight bronze Berlin 1936, two-time European champion, 19 Estonian titles.
Volkan Oezdemir
Volkan "No Time" Oezdemir, Swiss light heavyweight MMA fighter born 1989 in Fribourg; UFC record 9-7, challenged Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 2018, suspended 16 months for EPO in 2026.
Volker Fischer
Volker Fischer (born 1950, Iserlohn), German épée fencer for West Germany: Olympic team gold 1984, silver 1976 and 1988, individual world champion 1987 Lausanne; later a multiple veterans world champion.
Von Erich family
Von Erich family, real surname Adkisson, American pro wrestling dynasty of Fritz Von Erich and five sons who ran World Class Championship Wrestling in 1980s Texas, feuded with the Fabulous Freebirds, and lost five brothers by age 33; Kevin survives, with sons Ross and Marshall now in AEW.
Vyacheslav Lemeshev
Vyacheslav Lemeshev (Вячеслав Иванович Лемешев), Soviet amateur boxer, 1972 Munich Olympic middleweight champion, twice European champion (1973, 1975), 103 wins in 111 bouts, died 1996.
Vyacheslav Yanovsky
Vyacheslav Yanovsky (Вячеслав Евгеньевич Яновский), born 1957 in Vitebsk, Belarusian boxer for the USSR; won light-welterweight gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the last Soviet Olympic boxing champion, later a professional and federation president.
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett (Stu Bennett), English retired wrestler and WWE color commentator on SmackDown; NXT season one winner (2010), Nexus leader, five-time Intercontinental Champion, 2015 King of the Ring, never a world champion.
Wahoo McDaniel
Wahoo McDaniel (Edward Hugh McDaniel, 1938–2002), Choctaw-Chickasaw AFL linebacker for the Broncos, Jets, and Dolphins who became a legendary pro wrestler, five-time NWA United States Champion, and 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductee.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Waldo "Salsa Boy" Cortes-Acosta, Dominican UFC heavyweight (born 1991, Fundación, Barahona), former Cincinnati Reds minor league pitcher turned MMA fighter; 17-4 pro, 10-4 UFC, five-fight streak ended by Pavlovich, KO wins over Lewis, Gaziev, Delija.
Walide Khyar
Walide Khyar (born 1995, Bondy) is a French judoka, −66 kg, Olympic mixed-team champion at Paris 2024, European champion 2016 at −60 kg, world bronze medallist 2023, and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam winner 2025.
Walt Harris (fighter)
Walt Harris, "The Big Ticket" (born 1983, Birmingham, Alabama), American UFC heavyweight; 13-10-0 (1 NC), all wins by KO/TKO; basketball player at Jacksonville State; suspended by USADA/CSAC in 2019 and NAC in 2023.
Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist from Curitiba, nicknamed "The Axe Murderer", who held the PRIDE middleweight title for nearly five and a half years.
Wang Jiao
Wang Jiao (王娇), born 1988 in Shenyang, Chinese freestyle wrestler, 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist in women's heavyweight (≤72 kg); placed =5 at London 2012. Distinct from the freestyle skier Wang Jiao (b. 1983).