Vasily Kamotsky was born on June 21, 1990, in the small town of Ilansky in the Krasnoyarsk Krai. His father was a physical education teacher who switched to farming in 1992, raising pigs, bees, chickens, and cows. From an early age, Vasily helped his family and grew up as a large boy.
By the time he started first grade, “Dumpling” weighed 40 kg, in second grade—50 kg, and by the time he finished school, he weighed 165 kg. However, his weight did not prevent him from engaging in sports: he trained in boxing and played football as a goalkeeper, winning local tournaments. Unfortunately, a knee ligament rupture ended his sports career.
After graduating from school, Kamotsky enrolled at Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk, where he studied mechanical and technological engineering. The university was located 300 km from his hometown. In 2012, he graduated and initially planned to stay in the city but returned home for the harvest season and ended up staying in the village.
After his father’s passing, Vasily inherited the family farm. The whole family worked on the farm, with Vasily personally sowing wheat, harvesting, and selling it. The daily physical labor strengthened him, and in 2018, “Dumpling” participated in the Krasnoyarsk Krai Powerlifting Cup, where he took first place.
In 2018, Kamotsky faced financial difficulties when one of his business partners went bankrupt and failed to pay him 500,000 rubles. To keep the farm running, he had to sell all the cows to buy diesel fuel for sowing. Kamotsky saved his farm, recovered from the losses, and even aimed to expand his holdings. His dream of purchasing an expensive combine harvester ultimately led him to nationwide fame.
Rise to Fame
In March 2019, the Siberian Power Show festival took place in Krasnoyarsk. One of the event’s organizers was powerlifter Kirill Sarychev, a world record holder in raw bench press (335 kg). “Dumpling” attended the tournament to take a photo with Sarychev and ended up winning a khinkali-eating contest.
During the same festival, a slap-fighting tournament was held, where competitors attempted to knock each other out with powerful open-hand slaps. Encouraged by friends, Vasily joined the competition. He defeated three opponents and won 30,000 rubles for first place. Additionally, Kamotsky knocked out one of the judges, who volunteered for an exhibition match. A video of the tournament went viral, gaining over 14 million views.
Many major media outlets, including Daily Mail, The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, and Vice, covered the story. News of the Russian strongman who could knock people out with a single slap even reached famous YouTuber-boxer Logan Paul. The American influencer challenged Kamotsky to a slap fight on May 24, 2019, in Moscow but backed out two days before the scheduled match. Later, Paul admitted Kamotsky’s power, calling him “the last person you see before you die.”
“Stone Faces” Show and the Dream of a Combine Harvester
After his successful performance at the Siberian Power Show, Kamotsky traveled to Moscow to participate in Stone Faces, a joint project by blogger Amiran Sardarov (from the YouTube channel “Diary of a Hach”) and Kirill Sarychev. This was Vasily’s first time flying on an airplane, and he admitted being nervous about the experience.
On the show, it was Vasily’s opponents who had reason to be scared. Kamotsky quickly became the face of the competition. A promo video showcased his life in the village, working on the farm, and feeding livestock. In the second episode, Kamotsky revealed his main goal: he was competing in Stone Faces to save money for a combine harvester, which cost 5-6 million rubles.
First, Vasily knocked out the eccentric Kirill “Bazooka Arms” Tereshin, followed by Sergey “Satanist” Poshtak. The show gained immense popularity, leading to additional episodes.
The show featured famous participants such as Daria “Instasamka” Zoteeva and Denis “Papa” Vildanov. Kamotsky became the main headliner, and under his slaps fell Dani “Zombie Boy” Bely, a 22-year-old man weighing only 60 kg, and other contestants seemingly lacking self-preservation instincts.
Kamotsky also participated in Stone Faces in Prison, where he faced off against legendary heavyweight Zuluzinho, a 200 kg fighter known for competing against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two massive men couldn’t determine a winner and split the 150,000-ruble prize.
Sardarov helped “Dumpling” purchase the long-desired combine harvester for 6 million rubles. With the new machine, Vasily could now complete the harvest in two weeks instead of a month and a half.
First Defeat and Power Slap League
In December 2019, Kamotsky suffered his first unofficial defeat. Vyacheslav Zezyulya, a 36-year-old mechanic from Angarsk, was in Moscow for work and attended a powerlifting championship. When famous blogger Edward Bill announced a 200,000-ruble reward for anyone who could knock out Kamotsky, Zezyulya took up the challenge. Having trained in hand-to-hand combat before his military service, he delivered a devastating slap that knocked Kamotsky unconscious. The viral video even caught the attention of UFC president Dana White, who shared it on social media.
After filming the final episode of Stone Faces, Vasily returned to his farm while also participating in Punch Club, a bare-knuckle fight competition. He fought to a draw with Denis “Papa” Vildanov, who later signed with the Power Slap league in September 2023.
In 2024, Dana White announced Kamotsky’s signing with Power Slap, as he had long been eager to see the Russian knockout artist in action.
On June 28, Kamotsky made his debut at Power Slap 8 in Las Vegas against Polish fighter Kamil “Polar Bear” Marusarz. UFC fighter Alexander Volkov accompanied Kamotsky to the match, even acting as his “style coach,” adjusting his beard and hair before the bout. It took only one slap for Kamotsky to knock Marusarz out cold, leaving commentators and the audience in awe.
Kamotsky’s performance was so impressive that he was granted a title shot in the super heavyweight division on October 24 at Power Slap 9, facing reigning champion Layne “Crazy Hawaiian” Viernes, who was on a three-fight win streak with multiple title defenses.
At the weigh-in, “Dumpling” registered at 156 kg, while Viernes weighed in at 190 kg. Their first match ended in a controversial draw, as neither could secure a knockout. Dana White approved an immediate rematch. This time, both fighters endured five full rounds, but the judges unanimously awarded Kamotsky the victory due to his cleaner, more powerful strikes, compared to Viernes, who fouled twice.
Now, Vasily Kamotsky is the new Power Slap super heavyweight champion, having “beaten the game.” His next challenge will be defending his title, but as Kamotsky himself put it, “It doesn’t matter who’s next.”
Vasily Kamotsky was born on June 21, 1990, in the small town of Ilansky in the Krasnoyarsk Krai. His father was a physical education teacher who switched to farming in 1992, raising pigs, bees, chickens, and cows. From an early age, Vasily helped his family and grew up as a large boy.
By the time he started first grade, “Dumpling” weighed 40 kg, in second grade—50 kg, and by the time he finished school, he weighed 165 kg. However, his weight did not prevent him from engaging in sports: he trained in boxing and played football as a goalkeeper, winning local tournaments. Unfortunately, a knee ligament rupture ended his sports career.
After graduating from school, Kamotsky enrolled at Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk, where he studied mechanical and technological engineering. The university was located 300 km from his hometown. In 2012, he graduated and initially planned to stay in the city but returned home for the harvest season and ended up staying in the village.
After his father’s passing, Vasily inherited the family farm. The whole family worked on the farm, with Vasily personally sowing wheat, harvesting, and selling it. The daily physical labor strengthened him, and in 2018, “Dumpling” participated in the Krasnoyarsk Krai Powerlifting Cup, where he took first place.
In 2018, Kamotsky faced financial difficulties when one of his business partners went bankrupt and failed to pay him 500,000 rubles. To keep the farm running, he had to sell all the cows to buy diesel fuel for sowing. Kamotsky saved his farm, recovered from the losses, and even aimed to expand his holdings. His dream of purchasing an expensive combine harvester ultimately led him to nationwide fame.
Rise to Fame
In March 2019, the Siberian Power Show festival took place in Krasnoyarsk. One of the event’s organizers was powerlifter Kirill Sarychev, a world record holder in raw bench press (335 kg). “Dumpling” attended the tournament to take a photo with Sarychev and ended up winning a khinkali-eating contest.
During the same festival, a slap-fighting tournament was held, where competitors attempted to knock each other out with powerful open-hand slaps. Encouraged by friends, Vasily joined the competition. He defeated three opponents and won 30,000 rubles for first place. Additionally, Kamotsky knocked out one of the judges, who volunteered for an exhibition match. A video of the tournament went viral, gaining over 14 million views.
Many major media outlets, including Daily Mail, The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, and Vice, covered the story. News of the Russian strongman who could knock people out with a single slap even reached famous YouTuber-boxer Logan Paul. The American influencer challenged Kamotsky to a slap fight on May 24, 2019, in Moscow but backed out two days before the scheduled match. Later, Paul admitted Kamotsky’s power, calling him “the last person you see before you die.”
“Stone Faces” Show and the Dream of a Combine Harvester
After his successful performance at the Siberian Power Show, Kamotsky traveled to Moscow to participate in Stone Faces, a joint project by blogger Amiran Sardarov (from the YouTube channel “Diary of a Hach”) and Kirill Sarychev. This was Vasily’s first time flying on an airplane, and he admitted being nervous about the experience.
On the show, it was Vasily’s opponents who had reason to be scared. Kamotsky quickly became the face of the competition. A promo video showcased his life in the village, working on the farm, and feeding livestock. In the second episode, Kamotsky revealed his main goal: he was competing in Stone Faces to save money for a combine harvester, which cost 5-6 million rubles.
First, Vasily knocked out the eccentric Kirill “Bazooka Arms” Tereshin, followed by Sergey “Satanist” Poshtak. The show gained immense popularity, leading to additional episodes.
The show featured famous participants such as Daria “Instasamka” Zoteeva and Denis “Papa” Vildanov. Kamotsky became the main headliner, and under his slaps fell Dani “Zombie Boy” Bely, a 22-year-old man weighing only 60 kg, and other contestants seemingly lacking self-preservation instincts.
Kamotsky also participated in Stone Faces in Prison, where he faced off against legendary heavyweight Zuluzinho, a 200 kg fighter known for competing against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two massive men couldn’t determine a winner and split the 150,000-ruble prize.
Sardarov helped “Dumpling” purchase the long-desired combine harvester for 6 million rubles. With the new machine, Vasily could now complete the harvest in two weeks instead of a month and a half.
First Defeat and Power Slap League
In December 2019, Kamotsky suffered his first unofficial defeat. Vyacheslav Zezyulya, a 36-year-old mechanic from Angarsk, was in Moscow for work and attended a powerlifting championship. When famous blogger Edward Bill announced a 200,000-ruble reward for anyone who could knock out Kamotsky, Zezyulya took up the challenge. Having trained in hand-to-hand combat before his military service, he delivered a devastating slap that knocked Kamotsky unconscious. The viral video even caught the attention of UFC president Dana White, who shared it on social media.
After filming the final episode of Stone Faces, Vasily returned to his farm while also participating in Punch Club, a bare-knuckle fight competition. He fought to a draw with Denis “Papa” Vildanov, who later signed with the Power Slap league in September 2023.
In 2024, Dana White announced Kamotsky’s signing with Power Slap, as he had long been eager to see the Russian knockout artist in action.
On June 28, Kamotsky made his debut at Power Slap 8 in Las Vegas against Polish fighter Kamil “Polar Bear” Marusarz. UFC fighter Alexander Volkov accompanied Kamotsky to the match, even acting as his “style coach,” adjusting his beard and hair before the bout. It took only one slap for Kamotsky to knock Marusarz out cold, leaving commentators and the audience in awe.
Kamotsky’s performance was so impressive that he was granted a title shot in the super heavyweight division on October 24 at Power Slap 9, facing reigning champion Layne “Crazy Hawaiian” Viernes, who was on a three-fight win streak with multiple title defenses.
At the weigh-in, “Dumpling” registered at 156 kg, while Viernes weighed in at 190 kg. Their first match ended in a controversial draw, as neither could secure a knockout. Dana White approved an immediate rematch. This time, both fighters endured five full rounds, but the judges unanimously awarded Kamotsky the victory due to his cleaner, more powerful strikes, compared to Viernes, who fouled twice.
Now, Vasily Kamotsky is the new Power Slap super heavyweight champion, having “beaten the game.” His next challenge will be defending his title, but as Kamotsky himself put it, “It doesn’t matter who’s next.”
